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COUNT  ZEPPELIN 
1838-1917 


Zeppelin 

The  Story  of  a  Great  Achievement 


*** 


For  the  great  vision  and  unfaltering  devotion  to  an  idea  that  gave 
the  rigid  airship  to  the  world,  this  compilation  is  my  humble  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  Count  Zeppelin. 


m  *f      -< 


Chicago,  August,  1922 


Copyright  1922  by 
Harry  Vissering 


All  rights  reserved  including  that  of 
translation  into  foreign  languages. 


"The  forces  of  nature  cannot  be  eliminated  but  they  may  be  balanced  one 
against  the  other." 

Count  Zeppelin, 

Friedrichshafen,  May  1914. 


493923 


T 


HE   savage   can   fasten   only   a   dozen   pounds   on   his 


fells  a  tree,  and  builds  a  raft,  he  can  carry  many 
times  a  dozen  pounds.  As  soon  as  he  learns  to  rip  logs 
into  boards  and  build  a  boat,  he  multiplies  his  power  a 
hundredfold;  and  when  to  this  he  adds  modern  sciences  he 
can  produce  the  monster  steel  leviathans  that  defy  wind, 
storm  and  distance,  and  bear  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  burdens  a  millionfold  greater  than  the  savage  could 
carry  across  the  narrow  river." 

— Horace  Mann 


FOREWORD 


"(Z^f  all  intentions,  tfje  alphabet  anb  tfje  printing  pres*  alone  excepteb, 
ti)o£e  intentions!  tofud)  abribge  bistance  fjate  bone  most  for  utilisation." 

— Macaulay. 


The  economic  value  of  the  fast  transportation  of  passengers,  mail 
and  express  matter  has  been  well  proven.  The  existing  high  speed 
railway  trains  and  ocean  liners  are  the  result  of  the  ever  increasing 
demand  for  rapid  communication  both  on  land  and  water. 

Saving  in  time  is  the  great  essential.  The  maximum  surface 
speed  has  apparently  been  attained.  The  railways  and  steamships  of 
today,  while  indeed  fast,  have  reached  their  economical  limit  of  speed 
and  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  they  will  be  able,  because  of  the  enor- 
mous additional  cost  of  operation  involved,  to  attain  much  greater 
speeds. 

The  large  Zeppelin  Airship  supplies  the  demand  for  a  much  faster, 
more  luxurious,  more  comfortable  and  more  safe  long  distance  trans- 
portation. It  is  not  restricted  by  the  geographical  limitations  of  the 
railway  and  the  steamship.  A  Zeppelin  can  go  anywhere,  in  fact  the 
cruising  radius  of  a  Zeppelin  is  only  limited  by  the  size  of  the  ship  and 
the  amount  of  fuel  it  can  carry. 

Zeppelins,  only  slightly  larger  than  those  actually  flown  during  the 
last  few  months  of  the  war,  are  capable  of  safely  and  quickly  making  a 
non-stop  flight  from  Berlin  to  Chicago  and  from  New  York  to  Paris 
in  56  hours,  carrying  100  passengers  and  in  addition  12  tons  of  mail  or 
express  matter. 

In  November,  1917,  the  Zeppelin  L-59  made  a  non-stop  flight 
from  Jambol,  Bulgaria,  to  a  point  just  west  of  Khartum  in  Africa  and 
return  to  Jambol  in  95  hours  (4  days)  covering  a  distance  of  4225  miles 
and  carrying  more  than  14  tons  of  freight  besides  a  crew  of  22,  which 
performance  remains  a  world's  record  for  all  kinds  of  aircraft,  airship  or 
aeroplane. 

In  July,  1919,  the  British  Rigid  Airship  R-34  (copy  of  the  Zeppelin 
L-33  brought  down  in  England)  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  103  hours  and 
after  being  refueled  at  New  York  returned  home  in  75  hours. 


Count  Zeppelin,  Doctor  Eckener  and  Capt.  Strasser  (Chief  of  Naval  Air  Service). 
On  the  occasion  of  the  last  visit  of  the  Count  to  the  Airship  Harbor  at  Nordholz. 


Dr.  Ing  Ludwig  Diirr,  Chief  Engineer. 
Who  was  associated  with  Count  Zeppelin  from  the  start. 


The  German  Airship  Transportation  Company — DELAG — (a 
Zeppelin  subsidiary)  during  a  period  of  three  years  just  before  the  war, 
1911-14,  carried  34,228  passengers  without  a  single  injury  to  either 
passengers  or  crews,  and  after  the  war,  from  August  24th  to  December 
1st,  1919,  by  means  of  the  improved  Zeppelin  "Bodensee"  carried  2,380 
passengers,  11,000  pounds  of  mail  (440,000  letters),  and  6,600  pounds  of 
express  matter,  exclusive  of  crews,  between  Friedrichshafen  (Swiss 
frontier)  and  Berlin  under  unfavorable  weather  and  terminal  con- 
ditions, besides  a  flight  from  Berlin  to  Stockholm  and  return. 

The  U.  S.  Government  has  concluded  arrangements  (June,  1922) 
with  the  Allied  Powers  whereby  the  U.  S.  Navy  will  receive  a  modern 
Zeppelin  as  a  part  of  America's  share  of  the  aerial  reparations. 

This  new  Zeppelin  will  embody  the  very  latest  improvements  in 
airship  design  and  will  be  delivered  by  being  flown  from  Berlin  across 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Navy's  Airship  Harbor  at  Lakehurst,  New  Jersey. 
It  will  be  built  by  Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin  (Zeppelin  Airship  Building 
Co.,  Ltd.),  at  their  Friedrichshafen  Works  and  will  be  a  70,000  cubic 
meter  (2,400,000  cu.  ft.)  gas  capacity  commercial  type,  as  it  is  intended 
that  it  will  be  flown  in  the  United  States  to  demonstrate  the  safety  and 
practicability  of  long  distance  airship-transport.  It  will  be  delivered 
by  a  Zeppelin  crew.  The  arrival  in  the  United  States  of  this  strictly 
modern  Zeppelin  will  no  doubt  create  a  wonderful  interest  as  the  Amer- 
ican people  have  never  seen  a  real  Zeppelin  and  it  will  give  a  great 
impetus  to  airship  activities  throughout  the  world. 

The  U.  S.  Navy  are  building  at  Lakehurst,  N.  J.,  the  ZR-1  modeled 
after  the  Zeppelin  L-49.  The  ZR-1  will  be  of  55,000  cubic  meters 
(1,940,000  cu.  ft.)  gas  capacity  and  is  intended  for  use  as  an  experi- 
mental and  training  ship. 

Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin  is  building  (August,  1922)  at  Friedrich- 
shafen a  Zeppelin  of  30,000  cubic  meters  (1,059,000  cu.  ft.)  gas  capacity 
to  be  used  for  experimental  and  training  purposes.  It  will  be  finished 
in  the  winter  of  1922-23  and  in  time  to  take  advantage  of  some  of  the 
worst  of  winter  weather  conditions  for  experiments  having  to  do  with 
airship  navigation  under  the  extremes  of  weather  and  temperature. 

Considerable  of  the  information  contained  in  these  pages  has  been 
furnished  by  Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin  for  which  the  author  is  greatly 

indebted  to  them. 

HARRY  VISSERING 


PLATE  1 


Zeppelin  "LZ-1"  First  Ascent  July  2nd,  1900. 


Count  Zeppelin's  First  Floating  Shed  on  Lake  Constance  (Bodensee)  and 
the  Zeppelin  "LZ-1",  July  1900. 


CHAPTER  I 

Zeppelin  and  His  Airships 

COUNT  Ferdinand  von  Zeppelin  was  born  at  Constance  on 
Lake  Constance  (Bodensee),  Germany,  July  8th,  1838.  His 
boyhood  was  not  unlike  that  of  others  in  Central  Europe; 
and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  young  Zeppelin  was  enrolled  at  a  military 
school  at  Ludwigsburg,  from  which  he  in  due  time  graduated  into  a 
lieutenancy  in  the  Wurttemberg  Army,  but  he  was  not  particularly 
enthralled  with  the  quiet  life  of  a  garrison  in  peace  time.  His 
creative  faculties  demanded  something  more  of  life  than  the  routine 
of  inspections,  drills  and  dress  parades.  When  he  died  on  March  8, 
1917,  in  Berlin,  the  whole  world  mourned  the  loss  of  one  whose 
genius  and  vision  had  developed  the  rigid  airship  into  a  practical 
vehicle  of  the  sky,  proved  of  inestimable  value  in  peace  and  war. 
Zeppelin  had  lived  to  see  more  than  a  hundred  rigid  airships  built 
from  his  designs  and  under  his  personal  supervision.  And  so  com- 
pletely was  his  personality  interwoven  with  the  creation  of  these 
aerial  giants  that  throughout  the  world  all  dirigible  lighter-than-air 
craft  are  looked  upon  as  the  noted  Zeppelins,  and  are  referred  to  as 
such.  It  is  an  unconscious  but  none  the  less  fitting  tribute  to  the 
man  who,  starting  when  he  was  past  the  half  century  mark,  has 
made  possible  the  greatest  of  all  vehicles  for  us  to  use  in  our  new 
dominion — the  air. 

An  Officer  in  the  American  Union  Army 

Here  in  America  the  Civil  War  was  attracting  the  adventurous 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  and  shortly  after  it  started,  Zeppelin 
came  over  to  join  the  Union  Army  as  a  volunteer  officer  and  thus  to 
add  to  his  military  education,  but  Zeppelin  was  not  only  the  officer. 

(1) 


Zeppelin  "LZ-3"  Over  Count  Zeppelin's  First  Floating  Shed  October  1906. 


Zeppelin  "LZ-3"  in  First  Temporary  Land  Shed. 

Which  was  erected  and  used  while  the  new  double  shed,  completed  in  1908,  was  being 

built  at  Friedrichshafen. 


He  loved  to  roam  in  out  of  the  way  places  and  whenever  opportunity 
afforded  he  organized  hunting  parties  and  went  off  on  long  sojourns 
in  the  then  sparsely  inhabited  regions  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
Here  he  played  the  explorer  and  wrote  letters  back  home  dwelling 
011  the  pleasures  of  exploration  and  the  possibilities  in  store  for  him 
who  could  invent  something  that  would  take  one  to  the  far  and 


Zeppelin  s  First  Rigid  Design 

His  impressions  gained  during  the  American  Civil  Wajvwhere  he 
had  the  opportunity  of  making  captive  balloon  ascensions,  and  also 
in  the  Franco-German  War  where  he  had  the  opportunity  of  watch- 
ing the  numerous  balloons  leaving  Paris  during  the  siege,  no  doubt, 
first-originated  in  Zeppelin's  mind  the  thought  of  developing  a-terge 
rigid  airship^.  In  fact,  as  early  as  1873_  he  designed  ^narge-TTgic 
airship,  sub-divided  into  single  compartments  and  he  emphasized 
the  importance  of  such  aircraft  for  long  distance  transportation  in 
order  to  help  in  the  civilization  of  mankind. 

In  1887  Zeppelin  submitted  a  memorandum  to  the  King  of 
Wurttemberg  in  which  he  explained  in  detail  the  requirements  of  a 
really  successful  airship  and  stated  many  reasons  why  such  airships 
ought  to  be  large  and  of  rigid  construction.  However,  nothing  of 
iniportanT^~rv^s~aetually--accompli3hcd  until  heresigned  as-a-^Gefferal 
in  1891  in  order  to  give  his  full  time  to  his  mvention. 

In  1894  at  the  age  of  5(>  years,  with  the  assistance  of  an  Engineer, 
Kober,  he  had  completed  the  design  of  a  rigid  airship,  and  the  modern 
rigid  airship  of  today  is  not  essentially  different  from  Zeppelin's 
first  design.  He  submitted  these  designs  to  a  special  committee 
that  had  been  appointed  by  the  most  famous  of  the  German  scientific 
authorities  and  was  greatly  disappointed  over  the  decision  of  the 
committee  which,  although  they  could  not  find  any  essential  faults 


(2) 


PLATE  3 


Zeppelin  "LZ-4"  Starting  From  the  Floating  Shed  on  a  Twenty-four  Hour  Flight,  June  1908. 


Count  Zeppelin's  Second  Floating  Shed  With  Zeppelin  "LZ-5". 
Lake  Constance  (Bodensee)  1908. 


in  the  Count's  design,  could  not  recommend  that  an  airship  be  built 

in  accordance  with.  Zeppelin's  plans.     Admitting  that  he  was  not  the 

* _____ 

first  to  conceive  the  idea  of  rigid  airships,  Count  Zeppelin,  however, 
insisted  that  he  had  arrived  at  new  principles  and  that  these  prin- 
ciples were  sound.  There  had  been  several  attempts  to  build  rigids, 
but  there  always  had  been  too  much  weight  of  the  necessarily  volum- 
inous framework,  which  so  anchored  the  craft  with  its  own  weight 
that  it  could  not  lift  itself.  The  discovers  of  aluminum  made  this 
problem  less  difficult,  howev4r,  and  many  models  were  designed  with 
the  framework  of  this  light  material. 

TwcTyears"  af ter~Count  Zeppelin  had  completed  his  first  designs 
and  while  he  was  still  endeavoring  to  arouse  enough  Jnterest  to 
warrant  the  construction  of  a  rigid  ship,  an  aluminum  framework 
rigid  ship  was  built  by  another  group  near  Berlin.  This  ship  was  of 
approximately  150  feet  in  length,  but  of  an  essentially  different 
design  from  Zeppelin's.  The  outer  cover  was  made  of  metal.  On 
its  first  trial  flight  it  was  compelled  to  land,  due  to  engine  trouble 
and  the  fact  that  the  framework  of  the  ship  was  not  strong  enough  to 
stand  the  stresses  of  the  landing,  caused  it  to  go  to  pieces  and  this 
failure  was  quickly  seized  upon  by  the  then  existing  adversaries  of 
the  rigid  airship  as  an  argument  against  the  construction  of  rigid 
airships  with  a  metal  framework.  This  was  unfortunate  to  the 
cause  of  rigid  airships,  because  while  Zeppelin  had  not  been  identi- 
fied with  that  attempt,  all  experimenters  were  included  in  the  popu- 

cpndemnation. 

"•••I 

Zeppelin's"  improvements  were  beginning  to  be  recognized  and 
admitted,  but  the"  money  necessary  for  the  development  was  not 
forthcoming. 

Financing  the  First  Zeppelin  Company 
Zeppelin,  in  spite  of  many  difficulties,  succeeded  in  enlisting  the 

necessary  private  capital  and  in   1898  organized  a  stock  company 

* 

(3) 


PLATE  4 


Zeppelin  "LZ-5"  On  an  Excursion  With  Members  of  the  German  Parliament  Aboard. 

Autumn  1908. 


Zeppelin  "LZ-6"  and  "Deutschland"  in  the  First  Double  Shed  at  Friedrichshafen. 


(Aktiengesellschaft  zur  Foerderung-der  Motorlufts-schiffahrt)  to  pro- 
mote motor  airship  flights.  It  had  a  paid  in  capital  of  one  million 
marks  ($238,000). 

With  his  characteristic  sound  judgment  and  thoroughness 
purpose,  Count  Zeppelin  chose  the  Lake  Constance  (Bodensee) 
country  for  his  initial  efforts.  He  had  known  the  lake  and  local 
weather  conditions  from  boyhood  and  was  convinced  that  the  smooth 
ample  surface  of  this  beautiful  lake  offered  the  best  facilities  for  the 
handling,  starting  and  landing  of  these  extremely  large  craft,  though 
it  was  not  long  before  enough  had  been  learned  to  alight  with  them 
on  land. 

Now  the  giant  Zeppelins  can  land  at  will  with  perfect 
either  land  or  water. 

Today  Lake  Constance  is  recognized  as  the  best  place  in  the 
world  for  the  training  of  airship  personnel. 

The  eyes  of  the  entire  aeronautical  world  were  focused  on  the 
floating  airship  shed  (Plate  1),  which  Count  Zeppelin  built  and 
anchored  in  a  bay  close  to  his  workshops  at  Manzell,  near  Fried- 
richshafen.  During  the  months  that  he  was  making  the  parts  in 
the  shop  and  assembling  his  ship  in  the  shed,  there  was  much  specu- 
lation as  to  its  appearance.  It  was  generally  thought  by  others  who 
had  experimented  with  aircraft  that  Zeppelin  had  some  very  laud- 
able ideas,  but  as  a  rule  persons  were  skeptical  concerning  his  ability 
to  produce  a  practical  machine.  Interest  increased  and  when  he 
announced  that  he  would  fly  on  July  2nd,  1900,  all  those  interested 
in  aeronautics,  who  could  make  the  trip,  came  to  Friedrichshafen 
and  for  several  days  before  the  flight  delivered  professional  opinions 
predicting  failure. 

The  First  Zeppelin  Flight 

They  solemnly  averred  that  the  airship  would  bend  with  the 
weight  of  the  gondolas  under  its  ends.  They  said  if  it  bent,  the 

(4) 


PLATE  5 


Zeppelin  "Deutschland"  of  the  "DELAG",  1910.    The  First  Passenger  Carrying  Airship. 


Zeppelin  "Schwaben"  Second  Passenger  Ship  of  the  "DELAG",  1911. 


engines  and  steering  apparatus  would  not  function.  Further,  they 
feared  the  ship  would  keel  over  in  mid-air  because,  and  they  backed 
this  assumption  with  figures  and  formulas  based  on  their  professional 
engineering  knowledge  and  technique,  as  they  pointed  out,  the  center 
of  gravity  was  too  high.  Then  again  the  motors  would  surely 
explode  the  ship  because  the  gondolas  which  held  them  were  too 
close  to  the  body.  All  expected  Zeppelin  to  fail,  and  they  were  on 
hand  as  witnesses  when  first  the  big  cigar  shaped  bag  was  floated  out 
of  its  shed  (Plate  1). 

It  was  a  huge  thing  in  those  days,  419.8  feet  long  (128  meters), 
with  a  diameter  of  38.3  feet  (11.7  meters).  It  was 
immense  aluminum  framework  including  24  longitudinal  girders 
running  from  nose  to  tail  and  drawn  together  at  the  ends.  Joining 
the  girders  were  16  rings,  (reinforced  with  diagonal  wires),  formed  of 
transverse  girders,  which  held  the  body  together.  On  the  bottom 
side  of  the  body  was  fixed  a  bridge-like  construction  which  strength- 
ened the  framework  sideways  and  attached  to  it  were  two  motor 
gondolas. 

Over  this  vast  framework  Zeppelin  had  stretched  an  envelope  of 
smooth  cotton  cloth,  to  lessen  the  friction  through  the  air  and  to 
protect  the  gas  bags  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun.  There  were  16 
single  gas  cells  made  of  rubberized  balloon  cloth  placed  inside  the 
framework.  All  were  equipped  with  safety  valves  and  several  were 
provided  with  maneuvering  valves.  All  together  they  contained 
388,410  cubic  feet  (11,000  cubic  meters)  of  hydrogen  gas,  which 
Zeppelin  was  confident  would  lift  24,450  pounds  (12,000  kilograms).  ' 

Immediately  after  the  ship  had  been  floated  from  the  hangar 
Zeppelin  permitted  it  to  rise  off  the  pontoons  on  which  it  had  rested 
and  the  first  successful  rigid  airship  flight  was  an  accomplished  fact. 
He  nosed  his  craft  up  through  the  air,  the  two  16  horsepower  motors 
sending  it  along  slowly  at  13.5  miles  per  hour  (6  meters  per  second). 

(5) 


PLATK  (> 


Zeppelin  "L-l".    The  First  Naval  Airship,  1912. 


Zeppelin  "L-2".    The  Second  Naval  Airship,  1913. 


u 


Notwithstanding  this  low  speed  the  craft  responded  to  the  controls 
and  Zepplin  a  few  minutes  later  demonstrated  that  he  could  alight 
safely  as  well  as  take  off. 

The  First  Company  Dissolved  Through  Lack  of  Funds 
Zeppelin  made  three  flights  with  his  first  airship,pn  the  third 
niaki«g~T7:8  milesTper  hour  (8  meters  per  second)  but  the  funds  had 
become  exhausted  and  overtures  to  the  Government  and  industrial 
concerns  failing,  he  dissolved  the  stock  company  and  began  anew 
his  struggle  for  capital.  Somehow  or  other  people  were  not  inter- 
ested in  aerial  navigation.  They  were  less  willing  to  invest  their 
resources  in  experimental  machines.  For  five  years  Zeppelin  labored 
tirelessly  to  make  persons  believe  in  his  project.  He  personally 
traveled  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  endeavoring  to  show  that 
this  was  an  enterprise  so  stupendous  in  its  possibilities  and  impor- 
tance to  the  world  that  it  should  be  substantially  endorsed. 

Assisted  by  the  King  of  Wurttemberg 

It  was  not  until  1905  that  King  William  of  Wurttemberg  having 
supplied  the  funds  and  an  aluminum  manufacturer  having  lent  him 
sufficient  material  for  another  frame  that  Zeppelin,  now  67  years  old, 
was  able  to  start  work  on  his  second  rigid  airship.  He  completed 
it  that  fall  after  working  incessantly  day  and  night,  making  impor- 
tant changes  over  the  first  design,  strengthening  and  at  the  same  time 
lightening  the  framework  and  adding  considerably  to  the  efficiency 
of  the  steering  apparatus.  Motors  also  had  been  developing  during 
that  period  and  he  was  able  to  find  two  85  horsepower  motors  for  his 
power  plants. 

And  then,  as  the  ship  was  being  taken  out  of  the  hangar  the  first 
time,  the  forward  steerim^gear  was  broken,  and  the  craft  was  literally 
driven  by  the  wrind  the  entire  length  of  Lake  Constance,  not  stopping 


PLATE  7 


Zeppelin  "L-2".    Interior  View  showing  Internal  Corridor  Construction. 
Gas  Bags  Not  Inflated.     1912-1913. 


till  it  was  brought  up  against  the  Swiss  shore,  whence  with  much 
difficulty  it  was  returned  to  the  workshops  and  repaired. 

The  next  time  he  flew,  Zeppelin  took  the  ship  to  a  height  of  1640 
feet  (500  meters)  over  the  lake  before  motor  trouble  developed  and  he 
was  forced  to  land  at  Allgau.  Though  he  had  no  assistance  aside 
from  his  crew  and  had  made  no  preparations  the  inventor  was 
successful  in  landing;  and  he  moored  her  there  in  an  open  field  for 
the  night  while  repairing  the  motors.  Before  they  could  be  started 
again  a  winter  storm  swept  against  the  craft  and  it  was  so  badly 
damaged  that  Count  Zeppelin  with  a  heavy  heart  was  forced  to' give 
orders  to  dismantle  it. 

Handicapped  by  Motor  Trouble 

There  was  world-wide  comment  over  the  accident  which  was  not 
due  to  structural  defect  or  design.  Zeppelin  explained  that  he  could 
have  survived  the  storm  had  he  been  able  to  keep  his  motors  running. 
But  everybody  thought  his  dream  was  shattered,  one  more  glorious 
failure.  But  Zeppelin  did  not  agree  with  public  sentiment.  The 
following  April  he  commenced  his  third  ship,  throwing  into  the 
venture  his  last  resources  along  with  all  the  enthusiasm  and  con- 
fidence of  youth.  It  was  this  that  enabled  him  to  announce  its  com- 
pletion in  October  1906.  It  was  exactly  like  the  one  destroyed  at 
Allgau  except  for  the  stabilizers  at  the  stern  which  had  been  added 
to  permit  of  smooth  flying  (Plate  2). 

Successful  Trials  with  the  Third  Zeppelin 

Experiments  with  this  craft  were  immediately  successful.  Zep- 
pelin guided  it  over  the  lake  between  three  and  four  hours  in  a  single 
flight,  making  wide  circles  and  maneuvering  under  absolute  control, 
remarkable  in  view  of  its  size.  The  ship  also  showed  superior  speed, 
making  28.8  miles  per  hour  (13  meters^ per  second). 

(7) 


PLATE  8 


Zeppelin  "L-3"  Naval  Airship,  1914. 


Zeppelin  "L-ll"  Naval  Airship,  1915. 


This  ship  brought  Zeppelin  and  his  assistants  their  first  public 
recognition.  The  German  Government  offered  the  inventor  a  new 
floating  shed  (Plate  3),  larger  than  the  old  one,  which  would  enable 
him  to  improve  his  craft  and  enlarge  them.  To  him  this  was  the 
most  essential.  He  more  than  any  other  apparently  realized  that 
he  must  increase  their  size  to  develop  practical  weight  lifting  capacity. 

The  Government  Becomes  Interested 

Meanwhile  he  continued  his  demonstration  flights  with  his  third 
ship,  culminating  on  October  1st,  1907,  in  a  brilliant  8  hour  flight  of 
more  than  218.5  miles  (350  kilometers).  Thereupon  the  Govern- 
ment officials  declared  their  willingness  to  take  over  Count  Zeppelin's 
ships  if  they  fulfilled  certain  requirements,  among  them  a  twenty -four 
hour  flight.  Early  the  next  summer  Zeppelin  took  out  another  new 
ship,  LZ-4  (Plate  3),  somewhat  larger  than  its  predecessors,  holding 
529,650  cubic  feet  (15,000  cubic  metres)  of  hydrogen.  This  increased 
size  gave  it  a  carrying  capacity  of  37,478  pounds  (17,000  kilograms) 
which,  with  increased  motor  power — each  engine  estimated  at  ap- 
proximately 100  horsepower — made  it  a  practical  weight  carrying 
and  speedy  craft.  Count  Zeppelin  with  an  eye  to  the  passenger  and 
military  possibilities  had  also  built  into  the  forward  part  of  the  hull, 
on  top,  an  observation  platform.  It  marked  the  beginning  of  refine- 
ment in  design  and  conveniences  which  has  been  continued  unceas- 
ingly. Here  was  an  airship  which  Zeppelin  felt  worthy  of  demon- 
strating to  the  public  at  large. 

Zeppelins  for  Commerce  and  War 

His  great  flight  on  July  1st,  1908,  was  as  successful  as  it  surely 
was  daring  for  he  took  the  new  rigid  up  over  the  Swiss  Alps  to  Lucerne 
and  back  again. 

The  world  was  astounded,  particularly  his  contemporaries,  a 
majority  of  whom  unhesitatingly  flooded  the  grand  old  man  with 


PLATE  9 


Zeppelin  "L-13"  Naval  Airship  Leaving  Friedrichshafen  for  Its  North  Sea  Base,  1915. 


Zeppelin  "L-30"  Naval  Airship,  1916. 


enthusiastic  messages  of  congratulation.  Just  as  he  had  worked  so 
devotedly  to  bringing  forth  something  in  which  the  German  people 
could  have  faith,  so  was  his  faith  justified.  The  public  was  wildly 
enthusiastic.  Everybody  was  proud  of  the  accomplishment  on 
German  soil  and  joyfully  acclaimed  Zeppelin  whose  lone  ideas  were 
now  the  ideas  of  a  nation.  His  triumph  was  not  only  official  but 
national.  His  vision  was  the  vision  of  the  people  and  it  was  an 
accomplished  fact. 

Rarely  had  there  been  such  national  interest  shown  in  any  sort  of 
venture  as  that  represented  by  the  vast  throngs  that  gathered  from 
all  parts  of  the  empire  to  witness  the  start  of  the  official  duration 
flight  on  August  4th  that  year.  Zeppelin  planned  to  sail  the  ship 
down  the  Rhine  Valley  toward  Mainz  and  return.  He  got  away  on 
schedule  and  disappeared  in  the  soft  haze,  all  Germany  receiving 
reports  of  his  progress  as  the  ship  appeared  for  a  few  moments  over  a 
village  and  then  out  of  sight  once  more. 

But  disaster  awaited  the  gallant  ship.  On  the  return  flight  motor 
trouble  caused  a  forced  landing  at  Echterdingen  near  Stuttgart.  A 
storm  blew  up  and  the  airship  was  torn  from  its  moorings.  As  it  was 
being  whirled  into  the  air,  the  entire  structure  was  suddenly  en- 
veloped in  a  solid  flame  and  Zeppelin  a  few  moments  later  was  gazing 
at  the  twisted  skeleton  of  his  latest  efforts. 

The  Zeppelin  Endowment 

It  was  thought  then  that  Zeppelin  had  built  his  last  airship.  He 
had  employed  all  his  own  personal  resources  in  that  venture,  and 
though  the  rigid  had  performed  remarkably,  even  his  closest  friends 
could  see  nothing  but  failure  in  further  attempts  to  establish  the  new 
science.  But  they  were  wrong.  Zeppelin  had  been  more  successful 
than  he  realized.  His  persistent  efforts  had  continuously  improved 
the  rigid  type.  Each  flight  was  better  and  more  efficient  than  the 

(9) 


PLATE  10 


Zeppelin  "L-43"  Naval  Airship,  1917.    Showing  Maybach  Motor  Works  and 
Part  of  Friedrichshafen. 


Zeppelin  "LZ-77"  Army  Airship,  1915. 


ones  preceding  it.  All  this  had  been  noted  by  the  people.  When  it 
was  learned  that  Count  Zeppelin  had  no  funds  with  which  to  con- 
tinue, a  popular  subscription  campaign  was  started  in  various  sec- 
tions, with  the  result  that  within  a  few  weeks  6,000,000  marks  (ap- 
proximately $1,500,000)  had  been  contributed  and  turned  over  to 
Zeppelin  for  him  to  use  as  he  saw  fit  in  carrying  on  his  experiments. 
Here  indeed  was  recognition.  For  the  money  had  come  from  persons 
of  high  and  low  degree,  from  huts  and  palaces.  The  Zeppelin  fund 
was  truly  representative  of  the  people.  It  made  the  shops  and 
hangar  on  Lake  Constance  a  popular  institution.  For  the  first  time 
in  his  life  the  inventor  found  his  airship  enterprise  on  a  firm  financial 
basis.  With  this  foundation  he  was  able  to  increase  his  shop  and 
laboratory  facilities  and  make  important  changes  in  his  organization. 
Instead  of  being  forced  to  produce  something  for  demonstration 
flights  alone,  he  was  able  to  concentrate  on  practical  development. 
His  personnel  was  ably  qualified  for  the  new  work.  Many  of  his 
assistants  had  been  with  him  since  the  beginning.  His  progress  had 
been  theirs  in  the  new  science  of  lighter-than-air  engineering.  Many 
of  these  men  are  still  with  the  Zeppelin  organization  which  retains 
the  original  name  created  by  the  popular  support  of  the  German 
people. 

The  Beginning  of  the  Zeppelin  Organization 

With  the  6,000,000  marks  presented  to  him  Count  Zeppelin 
founded  the  ' 'Zeppelins tiftung  zur  Foerderung  der  Luftfahrt"  (Zep- 
Delin  Endowment  for  the  Propogation  of  Air  Navigation).  This 
organization  is  the  exclusive  shareholder  of  Luftschiffbau  Zeppelin 

• 

(the  constructing  company),  and  through  this  controls  the  many 
subsidiary  companies,  each  one  producing  essential  parts  of  the 
Zeppelin  so  that  the  entire  organization  is  practically  independent  of 
outside  sources.  The  various  organizations  have  been  added  to  and 

(10) 


PLATE  11 


Zeppelin  "L-59"  Naval  Airship. 

Which  made  the  still  unbroken  World's  Record  Non-Stop  Flight  of  4225  miles  from  Jambol  in 

Bulgaria  to  just  west  of  Khartum  in  Africa  and  back  to  Jambol,  carrying 

14  tons  of  freight  in  95  hours,  November,  1917. 


Zeppelin  "L-59"  Engine. 
Telegraphs  and  Navigators  Desk. 


Zeppelin  "L-59"  Elevator  Rudders  Control 
Stand  and  Altitude  Navigation  Instruments. 


developed  at  intervals  since  the  Zeppelin  Endowment  was  created  in 
1908.  They  are  not  only  concerned  with  producing  airships  and  all 
their  parts  but  with  developing  airplanes,  seaplanes  and  power  plants, 
with  the  special  machinery  so  important  to  the  success  of  the  new 
aircraft  which  Zeppelin  continuously  produced  and  which  proved 
superior  to  other  products,  due  in  no  small  part  to  the  splendid 
organization  developed  by  means  of  the  popular  fund,  the  profits 
from  which  under  the  terms  by  which  Count  Zeppelin  accepted  it, 
must  continuously  be  thrown  back  into  the  treasury  "to  be  used 
exclusively  for  the  propogation  and  development  of  air  navigation." 
When  Count  Zeppelin  died  in  1917  his  assistants  were  placed  under 
obligations  to  carry  on  the  work  and  administer  the  Zeppelin  Endow- 
ment according  to  the  original  terms  which  do  not  limit  its  activities 
to  national  boundaries,  but  encourage  the  development  of  aerial 
navigation  throughout  the  world. 

Early  Development  and  Flights 

Commencing  in  1908  Zeppelin  devoted  his  energies  to  perfecting 
aircraft.  There  were  many  epoch  making  achievements,  not  only 
the  record  flights  and  increasing  efficiency  and  performance  tests 
but  continuous  discoveries  and  inventions  no  less  important  and 
significant  because  they  were  for  the  time  being  accomplished  within 
the  walls  of  laboratory  and  factory.  They  constitute  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  chapters  in  this  age  of  mechanics  and  engineering, 
and  are  worthy  of  further  explanation  later  on. 

One  of  the  first  flights,  under  the  new  organization,  was  that  of 
the  new  Zeppelin  Z-l,  April  1st,  1909,  from  Lake  Constance  to 
Munich.  Before  it  could  land  at  Munich  a  heavy  southwest  wind 
pushed  it  back  from  the  field  over  which  it  hovered.  The  Com- 
mander decided  to  "weather  the  storm"  in  the  air;  and  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  aerial  navigation  the  airship  remained  aloft, 

(11) 


PLATE  12 


BULGARIA 


*X  A    N    E   A    .V 


lloute  of  the  Zeppelin  L-59 


Day  Travel 


SCALE 
li  15.OOO.OOO 


her  nose  against  the  wind,  her  motors  turning  over  just  enough  to 
keep  her  in  the  same  spot.  Eleven  hours  later  the  Z-l  was  still  up 
hut  shortly  afterward  signalled  that  she  was  being  forced  to  land 
because  her  fuel  supply  was  becoming  exhausted.  Soldiers  detailed 
for  the  purpose  assisted  in  mooring  her  fast  in  a  field  near  Loiching, 
where  guarded  by  hundreds  she  lay  all  night  in  the  storm,  unharmed, 
though  repeatedly  assailed  by  squalls  which  often  swept  against  her 
with  40  miles  per  hour  (18  meters  per  second)  velocity.  The  next 
day  she  went  up  and  hopped  over  to  Munich  and  received  a  wildly 
enthusiastic  greeting  from  the  thousands  who  had  followed  her 
adventure  with  personal  pride  and  interest.  The  Z-l  spent  four 
hours  flying  over  Munich  and  then  turned  on  her  heels  and  back  to 
her  harbor  at  Friedrichshafen.  If  there  was  anything  necessary  to 
silence  the  few  critics  who  still  entertained  doubts  as  to  the  ultimate 
practicability  of  rigid  airships,  that  flight  of  the  Z-l  accomplished 
the  purpose. 

Count  Zeppelin  meanwhile  was  rebuilding  his  "Echterdingen" 
airship  and  on  May  29th,  1909,  he  took  it  out  of  Manzell  toward  the 
north  of  Germany.  He  kept  on  until  he  reached  Bitterfeld  before 
turning  back  toward  Lake  Constance.  After  38  hours  in  the  air 
during  which  he  had  traversed  683.5  miles  (1100  kilometers)  he 
landed  at  Goppingen  for  gasoline.  In  landing  the  ship  struck  a 
tree  but  the  damage  was  quickly  repaired  and  the  rigid  was  able  to 
return  under  its  own  power  to  the  air  harbor  on  Lake  Constance. 

Hailed  as  National  Hero 

After  a  thorough  overhauling  Count  Zeppelin  flew  the  same  air- 
ship to  Berlin,  at  the  express  invitation  of  the  Kaiser,  who  gave  a 
dinner  in  his  honor  at  the  Royal  Palace  following  an  enthusiastic 
popular  reception  from  the  entire  populace  in  the  capitol.  On  his 
return  to  Lake  Constance  he  met  severe  storms  and  a  broken  pro- 

(12) 


PLATE  13 


Zeppelin  "L-70"  Naval  Airship,  1918. 
The  fastest  of  the  "big  ones"  with  a  speed  of  82  miles  per  hour. 


Zeppelin  "L-71".    The  Last  Naval  Airship  in  Actual  Service. 
Leaving  Friedrichshafen,  1918. 


peller  compelled  a  landing.  It  was  found  that  a  piece  of  the  blade 
had  penetrated  one  of  the  gas  bags;  and  three  days  were  required  to 
repair  the  damage.  Finally,  after  27  hours  in  the  air,  the  ship  once 
more  rested  in  its  home  shed.  It  is  said  that  this  flight  forever 
established  Zeppelin  in  the  confidence  of  the  people  and  the  Govern- 
ment. His  ships  acquired  the  reputation  of  the  builder  in  being  able 
to  surmount  tremendous  difficulties.  The  Zeppelin  headquarters  at 
Friedrichshafen  became  the  German  Mecca.  But  the  Germans  were 
not  alone  in  their  pilgrimage  for  thousands  of  persons  interested  in 
aeronautics  journeyed  to  Lake  Constance  on  the  shores  of  which 
great  plants  had  grown  up  on  the  land  which  Zeppelin  had  purchased 
for  his  wonder  city  of  the  air. 

In  the  fall  of  1908  the  members  of  the  Reichstag  and  the  Bunders- 
rath  came  to  Friedrichshafen,  a  hundred  or  more  trusting  themselves 
to  the  Zeppelin  ship,  the  sole  feature  of  the  national  celebration. 
Thousands  of  watercraft  dotted  the  clear  waters  of  the  lake  as  the 
Zeppelin  went  up  again  and  again  filled  to  capacity  with  the  leaders 
of  German  political,  financial,  and  industrial  life  (Plate  4).  Zep- 
pelin was  hailed  as  a  national  hero,  and  more,  for  it  was  generally 
recognized  that  his  great  vehicles  possessing  such  speed  and  dur- 
ability were  world  travelers  and  as  such  would  do  much  toward 
bringing  all  parts  of  the  world  together  and  thereby  eliminating 
national  borders — as  far  as  trade,  travel,  and  commerce  were  con- 
cerned, at  least. 

The  New  Construction  Plant 

It  was  during  the  same  year  that  Zeppelin  abandoned  the  floating 
shed  at  Manzell,  where  all  his  ships  had  been  built.  New  work  shops 
were  located  on  shore  near  Friedrichshafen  (Plate  4).  Half  of  the 
original  contribution  went  into  the  new  construction  plant  which  was 
incorporated  as  Luftschiff ban-Zeppelin,  G.M.B.H.  (the  Zeppelin  Air- 

(13) 


PLATE  14 


Zeppelin  "L-70"  Naval  Airship  Entering  Largest  Shed  at  Friedrichshafen. 

Winter  of  1918. 


ship  Building  Co.,  Ltd.).  Here  the  construction  of  the  new  Zep- 
pelins was  begun  with  augmented  forces  of  engineers  and  workmen. 
Naturally  the  first  airship  was  ordered  by  the  Deutsche  Luft- 
schiffahrt  A.  G.  ("DELAG") — the  German  Airship  Transportation 
Company — which  had  a  paid  in  capital  of  3,000,000  marks  ($714,- 
000.00)  subscribed  by  a  number  of  public  spirited  men  solely  to  start  a 
Zeppelin  passenger  and  mail  service.  It  was  planned  to  employ 
larger  ships  than  those  with  which  Zeppelin  had  convinced  the 
public,  to  secure  greater  lifting  and  carrying  capacity.  These  ships 
developed  rapidly. 

Military  Value  Proved  by  Commercial  Operation 
They  attracted  attention  among  the  military  authorities  who  had 
decided  that  the  Zeppelins  offered  advantages  over  the  existing  types 
of  observation  aircraft,  that  they  were  in  no  way  difficult  to  handle 
in  the  air  or  on  the  ground  and,  in  fact,  were  better  adapted  to 
military  purposes  than  others  previously  built.  A  deciding  factor 
in  favor  of  the  Zeppelins  was  the  ease  with  which  they  could  be  put 
into  their  sheds  after  each  flight.  The  Government,  accordingly, 
ordered  three  airships  built  and  equipped  for  military  service.  Their 
performance  was  kept  secret  but  they  were  accepted  and  obviously 
performed  equally  as  well  as  their  contemporary  commercial  craft. 
There  was  the  Zeppelin  "Sachsen"  which  flew  to  Vienna  from 
Baden-Baden  in  less  than  eight  hours.  This  commercial  flight  led 
the  German  army  to  buy  three  more  military  ships  of  the  "Sachsen" 
type. 

Activities  Early  in  the  War 

The  Navy  followed  suit  and  in  October,  1912,  bought  the  L-l 
(Plate  6),  for  experimental  and  training  purposes  in  connection  with 
the  fleet.  The  L-l  carried  706,200  cubic  feet  (20,000  cubic  meters) 
of  Hydrogen  and  proved  its  worth  on  its  trial  flight  from  Friedrich- 

(14) 


PLATE  15 


Year 


1900 


1908 


1913 


1915 


1916 


1917 


1918 


1919 


wiwMiiini^iw 


Builders 
Designation 


LZ-1 


LZ-18 


LZ-40 


LZ-62 


LZ-104 
African 
Ship 


LZ-1 13 

Last  of 
War  Types 


LZ-120 

'"Bodensee" 

and 
"Xordstern' 


Development  of  the  Zeppelin  from  1900  to  1919. 


shafen,  thence  north  over  Germany  to  Helgoland  in  the  North  Sea, 
thence  to  the  Baltic,  side  trips  here  and  there,  and  finally  to  the 
airship  harbor  at  Johannisthal  where  it  was  to  be  stationed.  The 
flight  lasted  34  hours. 

This  persuaded  the  Naval  officials  that  Zeppelins  were  essential 
in  marine  warfare  both  for  offense  and  defense.  Another  order  was 
placed,  this  time  for  a  Zeppelin  of  much  larger  dimensions.  It  was 
christened  the  L-2  and  delivered  in  September,  1913  (Plate  6). 
This  ship  represented  an  utterly  new  departure  in  design,  later 
universally  adopted.  A  corridor  was  built  forming  a  keel  on  the 
inside  and  bottom  of  the  ship  (Plate  7).  It  had  a  gas  capacity  of 
953,370  cubic  feet  (27,000  cubic  meters)  and  was  equipped  with 
four  motors  of  180  horsepower  each. 

Being  the  first  of  the  kind  it  was  inevitable  that  the  corridor 
arrangement  should  develop  a  flaw.  It  lacked  proper  ventilation. 
Hydrogen  leaked  out  from  the  ship  and  was  drawn  into  the  motor 
gondolas.  On  one  of  its  first  flights  this  caused  an  explosion  on  the 
L-2  which  sent  it  to  the  ground  a  wreck. 

Operations  with  the  Fleet 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1914  another  Zeppelin,  the  L-3  (Plate  8) 
was  delivered.  It  held  787,400  cubic  feet  (22,300  cubic  meters)  of 
hydrogen  and  carried  besides  its  own  weight  approximately  19,840 
pounds  (9,000  kilograms).  The  average  speed  was  43.5  (70  kilo- 
meters) per  hour  with  motors  aggregating  630  horsepower.  It 
carried  at  least  6,614  pounds  (3,000  kilograms)  to  a  height  of  9,186 
feet  (2,800  meters).  The  L-3  was  the  only  naval  airship  Germany 
possessed  at  the  beginning  of  the  war. 

Following  the  ideas  of  the  inventor  both  the  German  army  and 
navy  used  the  Zeppelins  for  strategical  reconnoissance  in  the  early 
days  of  the  conflict.  The  Zeppelins  flew  the  western  and  eastern 

(15) 


PLATE  16 


Zeppelin  Airship  Bldg.  Co.'s  Plant,  Friedrichshafen,  1910. 

Showing  First  Double  Shed  (now  used  for  Hull  Frame  Work  only)  Machine  Shops,  Foundries 

and  Office  Buildings. 


Zeppelin  Airship  Bldg.  Co.'s  Plant,  Friedrichshafen,  1919. 
Note  the  two  large  single  sheds.    The  largest  shed  is  115  feet  high,  151  feet  wide  and  787  feet  long. 


boundaries  of  the  empire  seeking  information  concerning  the  move- 
ments of  the  Allied  armies.  This  proved  dangerous,  however,  for 
the  airships  then  could  not  rise  to  high  altitudes;  and  consequently 
were  exposed  to  enemy  fire  from  the  batteries  below  and  airplanes 
above. 

The  L-3  operated  with  the  fleet  in  the  North  Sea  and  her  activities 
served  to  show  the  value  of  supplying  as  quickly  as  possible  Zep- 
pelins able  to  fly  high  and  with  greater  speed  than  ever.  It  was  also 
found  advisable  to  cease  flying  over  land  by  day.  The  Zeppelins 
became  the  night  cruisers  of  the  air,  and  were  assigned  the  task  of 
destroying  railway  junctions,  bridges  and  ammunition  dumps  along 
the  enemy  line  of  advance. 

The  Navy  soon  acquired  the  Zeppelins  L-4,  L-5,  L-6  and  L-7, 
which  joined  the  L-3  in  the  North  Sea  operations  where  they  became 
indispensable  as  the  eyes  of  the  fleet  and  a  continual  menace  to  the 
enemy  attempting  to  establish  himself  on  the  German  Coast.  All 
these  airships  were  duplicates  of  the  L-3  except  in  minor  details. 
Their  hulls  long  and  cylindrical,  of  uniform  cross  sections,  that  is 
excepting  the  ends  each  part  was  the  same  size  as  the  others.  This 
was  the  first  attempt  at  standard  construction  and  it  permitted 
quantity  production  more  economical  and  quicker  for  they  were  not 
compelled  to  design  and  fabricate  each  section  as  it  was  needed. 
The  plant  at  Friedrichshafen  had  been  expanded  and  was  working 
to  capacity.  Every  effort  was  made  to  save  time.  The  result  was 
remarkable  for  they  were  able  to  produce  one  Zeppelin  every  six 
weeks.  Late  in  1914  the  Zeppelin  Z-ll  was  delivered  to  the  army 
and  the  L-8  to  the  navy. 

The  Growth  of  the  Zeppelins 

Larger  sheds  (Plates  8  and  9)  were  completed  at  Friedrichshafen 
enabling  Zeppelin  to  build  bigger  ships  which  could  give  the  per- 
formances he  felt  was  essential. 

(16) 


PLATE  17 


Zeppelin  Airship  Bldg.  Co.'s  Colossal  Plant  at  Staaken  (1919).    Near  Berlin. 

Consisting  of  two  large  sheds  (at  the  left)  between  which  is  located  the  Traverse  Ring  Fabrication 

Shed.    The  Administration  Bldg.  is  shown  in  the  right  foreground. 


Zeppelin  Airship  Bldg.  Co.'s  Staaken  Plant.    (View  taken  from  a  Zeppelin). 
By  far  the  largest  and  most  complete  airship  building  plant  in  the  world. 


The  first  of  these,  the  LZ-38,  left  the  shed  in  April,  1915,  and 
joined  the  army.  It  had  1,130,000  cubic  feet  (32,000  cubic  meters) 
of  hydrogen  capacity  and  was  fuller,  that  is,  its  ratio  of  length  to 
diameter  was  9  to  1  where  in  the  former  ships  it  was  11  to  1.  The 
wider  girth  afforded  more  freedom  in  design  and  the  stern  was 
drawn  out  much  finer,  resulting  in  more  speed ;  on  later,  ships  reach- 
ing 58.1  miles  per  hour  (26  meters  per  second).  The  LZ-38  could 
carry  a  useful  load  of  30,865  pounds  (14,000  kilograms)  besides  her 
own  weight,  more  than  37%  of  her  total  lift.  The  Zeppelins  of  this 
type  (Plate  10-LZ-77)  proved  from  the  day  they  were  first  flown  equal 
to  all  the  demands  made  upon  them. 

North  Sea  Patrol  Flights 

They  cruised  over  the  North  Sea  scouting  and  guarding  the 
coastline,  remaining  in  the  air  for  thirty  hours  at  a  time.  They  flew 
out  from  the  western  outlet  of  the  Kiel  Canal,  northward  along  the 
shores  of  Denmark  to  the  Norwegian  coast  and  thus  were  able 
virtually  to  command  the  sea  hundreds  of  miles  around  with  powerful 
glasses. 

One  day  when  the  true  details  of  the  Skagerrak  Naval  Battle 
are  given  to  the  world,  it  will  realize  the  vital  part  which  the  Zep- 
pelins played.  They  consistently  hampered  the  enemy's  mine  laying 
operations  and  rendered  timely  and  valuable  support  to  the  counter- 
actions of  the  fleet.  In  discovering  mines  they  were  particularly 
effective;  and  this  work  alone,  about  which  the  world  was  unin- 
formed, justified  fully  the  time  and  labor  put  into  their  construction. 

Ten  Zeppelins  of  the  L-38  type  were  delivered  to  the  navy  in 
1915,  numbered  from  L-10  to  L-19  inclusively.  Approximately  as 
many  were  turned  over  to  the  army  during  the  year,  each  one  being 
slightly  improved.  Zeppelin  and  his  staff  of  experts  were  always 

(17) 


PLATE  18 


The  Maybach  Motor  Works,  1916. 
Practically  all  of  the  Airship  motors  were  made  in  this  plant. 


Zahnradfabrik  Friedrichshafen,  G.m.b.H.,  1915.    (The  Cogwheel  and  Gear  Works). 
Part  of  Friedrichshafen  and  Lake  Constance  in  the  background. 


able  to  profit  by  the  practical  experience  which  the  ships  were  under- 
going almost  daily. 

Zeppelins  Become  Lighter  and  Stronger 

The  hulls  were  strengthened  and  made  more  rigid,  yet  lighter, 
machine  guns  were  mounted  at  proper  points  of  vantage  and  bomb 
dropping  apparatus  so  perfected  that  heavy  loads  of  explosives  could 
be  carried  in  absolute  safety,  yet  instantly  released  and  with  remark- 
able accuracy.  An  observation  car  was  added  to  each  new  ship. 

The  Zeppelin  Observation  Car 

This  car  was  one  of  the  most  unique  inventions  developed  during 
the  war.  It  could  be  lowered  with  an  observer  aboard,  fully  one 
kilometer  (3,280  feet)  below  the  Zeppelin.  Here  the  observer  could 
get  his  bearings  while  his  ship  lay  far  above  hidden  in  the  clouds. 
The  ship  could  fly  or  drift  above  the  clouds  to  a  point  directly  over  the 
spot  to  be  bombed,  then  by  lowering  the  car  with  the  observer 
through  and  just  below  the  clouds,  he  was  able  to  direct  both  the 
operations  of  the  ship  and  the  bombing.  A  telephone  connection 
ran  up  through  the  supporting  cable.  He  was  able  to  signal  for  bomb 
releases  and  navigate  so  efficiently  that  any  objective  could  be 
attacked  without  danger  of  the  enemy  seeing  the  Zeppelin  lurking 
behind  the  clouds. 

Another  Zeppelin,  the  L-20  was  delivered  to  the  navy  early  in 
1916.  It  had  hydrogen  capacity  of  1,271,160  cubic  feet  (36,000 
cubic  meters)  though  the  diameter  was  the  same  as  the  others.  The 
L-20  carried  a  useful  load  of  37,478  pounds  (17,000  kilograms),  and 
an  increase  of  1,312  feet  (400  meters)  over  their  ceiling  and  made 
the -same  speed  with  the  same  horsepower. 

During  the  year  Zeppelin  delivered  seven  more  ships  of  this  type, 
but  possessing  greater  efficiency.  The  navy  received  five  of  them 
and  the  army  two. 

(18) 


PLATE  19 


Maybach  Airship  Motor  of  145  Horsepower,  1911. 


Maybach  Airship.  Motor  of  180  Horsepower,  1913. 


Anti-Aircraft  Defenses  Compel  Zeppelins  to  Fly  Higher 

The  Allies  meanwhile  had  developed  anti-aircraft  defenses  and 
their  airplanes  possessed  greater  climbing  ability.  To  meet  these 
new  conditions  the  airships  were  continuously  compelled  to  fly 
higher.  They  also  required  speed  greater  than  the  average  of  54 
miles  per  hour  (25  meters  per  second)  because  while  navigating  over 
the  North  Sea  they  frequently  encountered  winds  of  from  33.5  to 
40  miles  per  hour  (15  to  18  meters  per  second). 

To  meet  these  conditions  the  L-30  was  built  (Plate  9).  It  had 
a  gas  capacity  of  1,942,000  cubic  feet  (55,000  cubic  meters)  and  was 
nearly  twice  as  large  as  the  original  1,129,920  cubic  feet  (32,000  cubic 
meters)  four  motored  ships.  The  L-30  was  ready  in  May,  1916. 
It  was  almost  perfectly  streamlined.  The  long  cylindrical  hull,  so 
convenient  from  a  production  standpoint,  had  been  abandoned. 
The  L-30's  stern  tapered  gracefully  to  a  fine  point.  It  was  driven 
by  six  240  horsepower  Maybach  motors,  arranged  practically  as 
before.  One  was  located  in  the  forward  gondola  with  a  direct  drive 
propeller,  another  three  motors  in  the  rear  gondola,  one  with  a 
direct  drive  and  two  others  each  in  a  separate  gondola  located 
opposite  each  other  on  the  sides  of  the  hull  amidships,  so  as  not  to 
interfere  with  the  efficiency  of  the  propeller  in  the  rear  gondola. 
The  L-30  carried  63,933  pounds  (29,000  kilograms),  about  45%  of 
its  total  lift.  Other  Zeppelins  of  her  class  had  a  useful  lift  of  50% 
due  to  better  design  and  superior  materials.  This  represented  a 
marked  advance,  as  the  preceding  types  lifted  only  37%  of  their 
weight.  The  ceiling  had  been  increased,  too,  by  more  than  3,280 
feet  (1,000  meters).  They  could  now  ascend  from  11,800  to  14,750 
feet  (3,600  to  4,500  meters),  depending  on  the  load  and  weather 
conditions.  They  made  a  speed  of  63  miles  per  hour  (28  meters 
per  second). 

(19) 


PLATE  20 


Maybach  Airship  Motor  Type  HSLu  of  240  Horsepower,  1915. 


Maybach  Airship  and  Aeroplane  Motor  Type  Mb4a  of  260  Horsepower  at  an  Altitude  of 

10,000  Feet,  1918. 


Faster  Zeppelins  for  Scouting 

These  Zeppelins  proved  exceedingly  valuable  for  scouting.  They 
were  flown  in  all  kinds  of  wind  and  weather.  So  great  was  their 
capacity  for  fuel  that  there  was  no  task  too  great  for  them  to  under- 
take. But  then,  airplanes  were  constantly  being  improved,  and 
they  could  rise  quickly  to  high  altitudes.  The  planes  carried  machine 
guns  firing  phosphorous  incendiary  bullets  fatal  to  the  hydrogen  filled 
hull  of  the  Zeppelins  if  overtaken.  Airplanes,  naturally,  could  out- 
distance airships,  and  there  was  no  escaping  them.  The  Zeppelins 
were  compelled  to  fly  still  higher  than  the  L-30  type.  There  shortly 
appeared  other  Zeppelins  carrying  loads  of  more  than  39  tons  or  60% 
of  the  total  lift  of  the  ship;  and  they  could  fly  at  an  altitude  of  19,684 
feet  (6,000  meters)  with  13,228  or  15,432  pounds  (6,000  or  7,000  kilo- 
grams), without  depending  on  the  thrust  from  the  motors. 

In  the  fall  of  1917  "altitude"  motors  were  developed,  larger  and 
having  supercompression.  They  did  not  develop  full  power  at  sea 
level  but  instead  functioned  normally  at  10,000  feet  altitude  above 
sea  level.  They,  moreover,  gave  ample  power  higher  than  that. 
They  speeded  up  the  Zeppelins  to  70.5  miles  per  hour  (31.5  meters 
per  second). 

The  Zeppelin  company  built  thirty-six  ships  of  this  type  (Plate 
10-L43),  from  1916  to  1918;  and  they  were  used  by  the  army  and 
navy.  The  British  R-34,  which  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1919,  was 
an  exact  duplicate  of  the  Zeppelin  L-30  type. 

Zeppelin  Vision  of  World  Transport 

Count  Zeppelin  was  working  on  his  post-war  plans  for  commercial 
aerial  transport  when  he  died  in  March,  1917.  His  latest  ships  had 
demonstrated  their  worth  as  cargo  carriers,  not  only  in  war  but  in 
peace.  Before  hostilities  commenced  he  had  seen  thousands  of 
passengers  carried  in  his  Zeppelins.  An  account  of  these  operations 
will  be  found  in  Chapter  III. 

(20) 


PLATE  21 


Zeppelin  Giant  Seaplane  Built  at  Potsdam  Plant,  1917. 


Zeppelin-Dornier  Twin  (Tandem)  Motored  All  Metal  Commercial  Flying  Boat,  1919. 


His  Will  Carried  Out  After  His  Death 

They  had  justified  the  inventor's  faith  and  inspiration.  He  had 
never  abandoned  his  ideas  of  world  transportation  and  was  com- 
pleting a  survey  of  requirements  and  conditions  to  be  met  when, 
during  a  flight,  he  contracted  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  Though 
mortally  ill  and  old  in  years — he  was  seventy-eight — Count  Zeppelin 
held  conferences  in  his  sick  chamber,  passing  on  to  his  assistants  the 
big  idea  of  airship  transportation.  They  have  since  continued  the 
work  where  Count  Zeppelin  left  it.  Following  the  funeral  at  Stutt- 
gart airships  dropped  garlands  and  wreaths  of  flowers  on  his  grave, 
in  honor  of  the  man  who  had  done  so  much  and  had  perfected  an 
organization  capable  of  performing  the  tasks  remaining. 

The  Record  Flight  of  L-59 

There  is  ample  proof  of  what  a  modern  Zeppelin  can  accomplish 
when  commercially  operated  and  not  forced  to  operate  at  the  highest 
possible  altitude  and  maintain  maximum  speed.  In  November, 
1917,  the  Zeppelin  L-59  (Plate  11)  was  sent  to  German  East  Africa 
with  medicines  and  ammunition  for  the  beleaguered  colonial  troops. 
The  Zeppelin  was  especially  prepared  for  the  flight,  all  superfluous 
equipment,  such  as  bomb  dropping  apparatus  and  armament  being 
removed,  all  available  space  reserved  for  the  cargo.  The  L-59  was 
longer  by  98.5  feet  (30  meters)  than  the  others.  This  made  room 
for  two  additional  gas  bags.  Inside  her  744^/2  foot  hull  (227  meters) 
were  2,381,000  cubic  feet  (68,000  cubic  meters)  of  hydrogen.  She 
could  carry  50  tons  easily.  With  only  five  motors  she  averaged  62.6 
miles  per  hour  (28  meters  per  second). 

Flown  from  Germany  to  Jambol  in  Southern  Bulgaria,  the  L-59 
was  there  loaded  with  9  tons  of  machine  gun  ammunition  and  4  tons 
of  medical  supplies  and  with  21  tons  of  gasoline  for  the  motors. 

(21) 


PLATE  22 


Zeppelin-Dornier  All  Metal  Flying  Boat  Type  DoRs  III,  1918. 


Zeppelin-Dornier  All  Metal  Flying  Boat  Type  DoRs  IV.  1918. 


1+225  Miles  in  Less  than  Four  Days 

The  great  Zeppelin  sailed  out  of  Jambol  (Plate  12)  at  9  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  crossing  northwestern  Asia  Minor,  then  the  Aegian 
Sea,  south  of  Smyrna  and  on  between  the  Islands  of  Crete  and 
Rhodes  and  across  the  Mediterranean,  reaching  the  African  Coast 
by  daybreak  the  next  day. 

The  great  Sahara  Desert  was  then  crossed,  the  L-59  passing  over 
the  oasis  of  Farafrah  and  then  Dakhla.  Military  headquarters  at 
Berlin,  meanwhile,  were  trying  to  reach  the  Zeppelin  by  wireless. 
The  German  Intelligence  Office  had  intercepted  a  British  wireless 
message  to  the  effect  that  the  Colonial  troops  had  surrendered  to  the 
British.  The  L-59  had  passed  through  a  severe  storm  the  night 
before  and  had  taken  in  her  radio  antenna;  and  it  was  not  until  she 
was  over  Djebel  Ain,  west  of  Khartum  that  she  listened  in  and  picked 
up  the  message.  In  a  day  and  a  half  the  L-59  had  traversed  1865 
miles  (3,000  kilometers).  Without  stopping  the  Zeppelin  was  turned 
about;  and  after  retracing  its  path  across  the  Sahara,  thence  over  the 
Mediterranean  to  Adalia  on  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor,  and  flying  high 
over  Asia  Minor  and  the  Black  Sea,  arrived  back  in  Jambol  in  less 
than  four  days  from  the  time  it  set  out  from  that  port.  There 
remained  sufficient  fuel  aboard  for  two  or  three  days  additional 
flying.  The  ship,  under  the  same  conditions,  could  have  flown  from 
Hamburg  to  Khartum  and  return.  As  it  was  she  traveled  4,225 
miles  (6,800  kilometers)  on  a  non-stop  flight  which,  though  it  oc- 
curred in  1917,  today  remains  the  world's  record  for  all  kinds  of 
aircraft,  airship  or  airplane. 

Larger  Zeppelins  More  Powerful 

During  the  summer  of  1918  the  Zeppelins  were  again  given  higher 
climbing  ability  to  meet  the  ever-increasing  efficiency  of  planes  and 
anti-aircraft  guns.  Another  gas  bag  was  added  to  the  new  ships 

(22) 


PLATE  23 


Zeppelin-Werke  Staaken  Giant  Biplane  in  Comparison  With  Pursuit.  Plane,  1916. 
The  Giant  Biplane  had  a  wing  spread  of  137.76  feet  and  carried  a  useful  load  of  4J^  tons, 
power  plant  totaled  1250  horsepower  and  made  a  speed  of  90  miles  per  hour. 


Its 


Zeppelin-Dornier  All  Metal  Pursuit  Plane  Type  DO  Dl,  1918. 
Note  the  absence  of  all  struts  and  wire  bracing. 


(Plates  13  and  14),  which  brought  them  up  to  2,189,220  cubic  feet 
(62,000  cubic  meters)  capacity.  In  order  not  to  diminish  the  speed 
two  motors  were  added  in  respective  gondolas,  making  seven  engines 
in  all,  aggregating  1820  horsepower.  They  could  carry  94,798 
pounds  (43,000  kilograms)  or  about  60%  of  their  total  lift.  It  was 
planned  to  add  improvements  enabling  them  to  reach  an  altitude  of 
26,240  feet  (8,000  meters)  but  the  armistice  halted  all  military 
activities  and  there  was  no  occasion  at  that  time  for  commercial 
craft  to  fly  so  high. 

The  Most  Remarkable  Scientific  Development  in  the  History  of 

Aeronautics 

Looking  back  over  the  development  of  the  Zeppelins  (Plate 
15),  one  fails  to  find  such  remarkable  and  quick  advance  in  any 
other  medium  of  transportation.  The  history  of  engineering  does 
not  record  in  any  other  science  progress  comparable  to  that  of  the 
relatively  new  science  of  lighter-than-air  as  represented  by  the 
Zeppelins  during  the  four  years  of  war. 

Seventy  Percent  Speed  Increase 

Their  speed  had  increased  from  46.6  to  87.5  miles  per  hour  (75 
to  130  kilometers  per  hour)  approximately  70%.  Their  horsepower 
averaged  2,000.  To  carry  useful  loads  of  44  tons  their  hydrogen 
capacity  had  been  raised  from  706,200  to  2,189,220  cubic  feet  (20,000 
to  62,000  cubic  meters).  Other  commercial  ships  were  built  embody- 
ing the  improvements  developed  during  the  war.  A  description  of 
them  will  be  found  in  Chapter  III. 

Refinement  in  Design 

This  progress  was  made  possible  only  by  continuous  experiments. 
Ideas  and  suggestions  were  adopted  regardless-  of  expense  or  chance 
of  failure.  In  this  way  the  Zeppelins  had  the  advantage  of  every 
conceivable  refinement  in  design.  Their  hulls,  motor  gondolas,  in 

(23) 


PLATE  24 


Zeppelin-Werke  Staaken  "Giant"  All  Metal  Monoplane. 

Which  carried  eighteen  passengers  in  a  luxurious  cabin  at  a  speed  of  145  miles  per  hour.    Power 
plant  consists  of  4-260  horsepower  Maybach  Motors  totaling  more  than  1000  H.  P. 


Zeppelin-Dornier  "Dragon  Fly"  All  Metal  Flying  Boat,  1921. 

Carries  pilot  and  two  passengers  with  60  horsepower  motor  at  a  speed  of  80  miles  per  hour  and 
a  gasoline  consumption  of  only  four  gallons  per  hour. 


fact,  all  braces  and  wires  were  streamlined  so  as  to  offer  the  least  air 
resistance. 

The  rubberized  cloth  gas  cells,  or  bags,  used  in  1914  had  been  dis- 
carded for  others  of  light  yet  strong  cotton  cloth  (and  often  silk), 
lined  with  goldbeater's  skin  to  make  them  hydrogen  proof. 

Many  of  the  experiments  were  as  costly  as  they  were  painstaking 
but  the  Zeppelin  engineers  had  learned  early  in  their  work  that  air- 
ships can  not  be  built  satisfactorily  without  long  and  arduous  experi- 
ments to  support  each  innovation.  By  continually  striving  to  in- 
crease efficiency  they  secured  simplified  control  systems  and  ships 
that  handled  more  easily,  hulls  that  were  far  more  rigid  yet  lighter 
than  their  predecessors.  Even  the  framework  was  lightened  as  by 
degrees  it  was  made  stronger.  Many  structural  parts  were  stand- 
ardized, facilitating  production  and  repairs. 

One  has  an  idea  of  the  innumerable  parts  necessary  in  the  skeleton 
of  a  Zeppelin  when  he  learns  that  more  than  250,000  small  crossties 
are  required  in  making  the  triangular  shaped  girders  in  the  frame 
work  of  a  1,977,300  cubic  foot  (56,000  cubic  meters)  ship  which 
cross  tie  is  a  masterpiece  of  construction,  because  of  its  ingenious 
shape  and  finish. 

Eighty-Eight  Zeppelins  During  the  War  , 

Few  persons  know  that  during  the  war  alone  Luftschiffbau- 
Zeppelin  designed  and  built  88  airships  at  their  four  great  construc- 
tion plants,  as  follows: 

1914     1915     1916     1917     1918     Total 

At  Friedrichshafen 6  19  14  14  8  59 

At  Potsdam 1  7  8  16 

At  Staaken 2  9  1  12 

At  Frankfort  on  Main 1  .  .  .v.  •.'•/.  .  •  1 

Total 8         26         24         23  9         88 

(24) 


PLATE  25 


Zeppelin-Dornier  "Dragon  Fly"  All  Metal  Flying  Boat,  1921. 

Wing  span,  28  feet,  weight  empty  858  pounds.    Water  tight  bulkheads  are  provided  in  side 

fins  and  wings. 


•"^aamreTaJ"!       n«pi   -:>na»^-T^»BU-aJ^^^^^^^»»^^^^^^^^^^^»»^»^^^ 

)elin-Dornier  "Dragon  Fly"  All  Metal  Flying  Boat,  1921. 
With  wings  folded  greatest  width  is  only  10 3^  feet. 


That  in  itself  was  a  remarkable  achievement  which  could  have 
been  accomplished  only  by  possessing  the  scientific  knowledge  borne 
of  experience.  But  it  is  not  all. 

One  Hundred  and  Fifteen  Zeppelins  Built  and  Operated 
From  the  day  Count  Zeppelin  built  his  first  ship  until  the  last  in 
1919,  a  total  of  115  Zeppelins  were  built  and  operated.  The  first 
three  were  experimental.  Nine  Zeppelins  were  successfully  operated 
commercially  in  the  transportation  of  passengers.  Forty  were  de- 
livered to  the  German  army  and  63  to  the  navy. 

Scientific   Comparison 

There  exists  in  the  field  of  engineering  an  impartial,  positive  and 
unswerving  means  of  determining  the  relative  merits  of  things;  and 
that  is  by  a  technical  analysis  of  their  success.  By  it  one  may 
recognize  the  values  of  the  principles  and  construction  methods  in- 
volved. It  is  commonly  said  that  nothing  succeeds  like  success; 
and  this  is  virtually  true  of  the  Zeppelins.  Their  record  for  efficiency 
remains  unsurpassed,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  unequalled.  It  has  never 
been  denied  that  they  were  superior  to  contemporary  craft  or  that 
they  failed  to  maintain  an  increasing  advantage  over  them. 

This  comparison  is  justified  by  the  following  figures  which  we  will 
first  attempt  to  explain. 

It  will  be  noted  that  there  are  three  kinds  of  efficiency,  (1)  Speed 
(the  aerodynamical  figure),  (2)  Lift  (the  constructional  figure)  and 
(3)  All-around  efficiency  (the  combined  quality  figure). 

The  first  relates  to  the  efficiency  of  airship  propulsion  as  effected 
by  degrees  of  refinement  in  form,  lessening  of  resistance,  conserva- 
tion of  power,  etc.  It  is  simply  the  relation  between  the  speed  and 
engine  power.  Inasmuch  as  higher  speed  with  the  same  power  or 
the  same  speed  with  less  power  means  economy  of  operation;  there- 
fore, the  higher  figure  indicates  superior  quality. 

(25) 


PLATE  26 


Zeppelin-Dornier  "Dolphin"  Monoplane  All  Metal  Flying  Boat  Type  DoCsII,  1920  Model. 


Zeppelin-Dornier  "Dolphin"  Monoplane  All  Metal  Flying  Boat  Type  DoCsII,  1921  Model. 

Carries  six  passengers  besides  pilot  and  mechanician.    Speed  93  miles  per  hour,  185  horsepower 

motor.    Gasoline  consumption  11.9  gallons  per  hour.    Weight  empty  3200  pounds. 


Secondly,  referring  to  the  lift,  this  constructional  figure  indicates 
the  relative  useful  or  pay  loads  carried  with  the  smallest  amount  of 
material  used  in  the  ship  itself,  because  the  ship,  which  must  also  be 
carried  is  "dead  weight."  As  we  must  consider  all  ships  equal  as 
far  as  structural  safety  is  concerned,  the  technical  performance  is 
determined  by  judging  the  relative  performance  in  carrying  useful 
loads  (for  ships  of  similar  size),  or  equal  loads  with  smaller  ships, 
which  means  economy  of  operation.  The  higher  figure  indicates 
superior  quality.  It  should  be  noted  that  this  constructional  figure 
is  applicable  only  to  comparison  of  airships  of  similar  size,  speed  and 
service  requirements.  For  general  comparison,  however,  ships  of 
approximately  the  same  size  may  be  considered. 

Thirdly,  all-around  efficiency  (the  combined  quality  figure)  is 
somewhat  arbitrarily  chosen  by  considering  both  the  speed  and 
carrying  qualities  together.  It  is  not  based  on  scientific  deduc- 
tion, but  rather  is  a  practical  means  of  estimating  general  worth, 
as  speed  and  carrying  capacity  are  the  main  requirements  of  an 
airship. 


(26) 


PLATE  27 


Zeppelin-Dornier  "Komet"  All  Metal  Monoplane,  Type  DoCIII,  1920  Model. 


Zeppelin- Dornier  "Komet"  All  Metal  Monoplane. 
Carries  six  passengers  besides  pilot  and  mechanician.    One  motor  of  185  horsepower. 


Efficiency  Characteristics  of  Some  of  the  Latest  and  Best 
Airships  of  All  Nations 


Efficiency 

Capacity 

Maximum 

Nationality 

Type  and  Name 

Cubic 
Meters 

Speed,  Miles 
per  Hour 

Speed 

Lift 

All- 
round 

a) 

(2) 

(3) 

Non-Rigid  Airships 


\merican       

Goodyear  Pony  Blimp  

990 

40 

24.2 

0.60 

15 

French 

Caussin  T  2  

9120 

57  5 

28  0 

0  85 

24 

British 

NS  

10200 

57.2 

25.6 

0.65 

17 

German 

PL27 

31300 

55  7 

27  0 

0  98 

26 

Italian 

T  34  (Roma)    

34000 

74.2 

21  5 

0  68 

15 

Rigid  Airships 


British 

R  80             

34000 

59.7 

36.6 

0.80 

29 

British 

R  33—  R  34  

55500 

59.7 

37.3 

0.75 

28 

British 

R  36  —  R  37                    ... 

59500 

65  0 

40.0 

0.80 

32 

German                    .  . 

Schutte  Lanz  SL22  

56000 

62.5 

45.2 

1.36 

61 

German         

Zeppelin  LZ  120  (Bodensee)  . 

20000 

82 

63.7 

0.76 

48 

German  

Zeppelin  LZ  121  (Nordstern). 

22500 

78.8 

61.4 

0.78 

48 

German 

Zeppelin  LZ  100            

56000 

67.2 

56.0 

1.59 

89 

German 

Zeppelin  LZ  113 

62200 

81 

62.2 

1.60 

100 

German 

Zeppelin  LZ  102  

68500 

63.7 

.54.4 

1.90 

103 

Scientific  deductions  and  formulae  to  be  found  in  "Zeitschrift  fur  Flugtechnik  und  Motorluft- 
schiffahrt,"  June  15th  and  June  30th,  1920,  issues.     Article  by  P.  Jaray. 


(27) 


PLATE  28 


Dr.  Max  freiher  von  Gemmingen. 


Dr.  Hugo  Eckener          '     Kommerzienrat  Alfred  Colsman  Dr.  Ing.  Ludwig  Diirr 


Carl  Maybach 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Zeppelin  Organization  at  the  Time  of  Its  Greatest  Activity 

1918-1919 

THE  Zeppelin  Endownment  for  the  Propagation  of  Air  Navi- 
gation (Zeppelinstiftung  zur  Foerderung  der  Luftfahrt)  which 
Count  Zeppelin  founded  with  the  subscription  fund  of 
6,000,000  marks  presented  to  him  by  the  German  people  in  1908,  is 
administered  by  a  Board  of  Directors,  of  which  Baron  Max  freiherr 
von  Gemmingen,  Zeppelin's  nephew,  who  worked  with  him  from 
the  start,  is  Chairman.  The  other  Directors  are  Baron  von  Bassus 
and  Dr.  Hugo  Eckener. 

The  Zeppelin  Endowment  owns  Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin  (Zeppelin 
Airship  Building  Co.),  the  construction  company  organized  in  1908 
and  controls  the  "DELAG"  organized,  as  stated  before,  in  1910  for 
the  operation  of  commercial  Zeppelins.  Interested  in  the  "DELAG" 
are  a  number  of  financiers,  though  with  all  the  others,  it  was  under 
the  personal  supervision  of  Count  Zeppelin,  and  after  him  the 
Directorate  of  the  Zeppelin  Endowment. 

At  the  time  of  the  Armistice  the  construction  and  operating  com- 
panies employed  1,600  persons  on  their  executive  and  engineering 
staffs  and  12,000  workmen. 

Many  subsidiary  companies  were  organized  and  operated,  special- 
izing in  the  various  branches  of  Zeppelin  work,  experimenting  and 
producing. 

Many  Subsidiary  Companies 

These  subsidiary  companies  are  also  controlled  by  the  Directorate. 
They  were  not  permitted  to  disintegrate  during  the  difficult  period 
following  the  war,  but  instead,  have  kept  their  personnel  and  facilities 

(28) 


PLATE  29 


Zeppelin  Village  (Zeppelindorf),  1916. 
Constructed  by  the  Zeppelin  Airship  Building  Company  for  its  employees  and  their  families. 


A  Typical  Double  House. 


A  Typical  Single  House. 


intact  and  are  ready  to  continue  the  work  which  was  interrupted 
by  the  terms  of  the  treaty.  They  produce  respectively  motors,  gas 
bags,  propellers,  gears,  sheds  and,  in  fact,  everything  pertaining  to 
aerial  navigation  including  airplanes,  flying  boats  and  parts. 

The  Construction  Plants 

The  great  construction  plants  are  organized  on  the  same  prin- 
ciples as  ship  yards.  Over  them  all  is  the  General  Director,  Mr. 
Alfred  Colsman,  and  Chief  Engineer,  Dr.  Ing.  Ludwig  Duerr,  the 
latter  having  been  with  Count  Zeppelin  since  the  first  airship  was 
started  and  to  whom  much  of  the  credit  must  be  given  for  the  success 
attained. 

There  are  various  departments  including  the  planning  and  super- 
vising divisions,  two  designing  divisions  (one  for  scientific  and 
general  design,  the  other  for  workship  and  drawings),  the  manu- 
facturing and  erecting  divisions,  calculating  and  accounting,  testing 
and  controlling,  and  general  maintenance  divisions.  The  research 
department  is  a  separate  organization. 

The  Airship  Factories 

In  the  airship  factories  the  framework  is  made  and  erected.  The 
envelope  is  prepared,  passenger  and  engine  gondolas  completed  and 
assembled  along  with  other  apparatus  and  instruments.  The  power 
plant  is  built,  excepting  the  motors  and  parts  of  the  gear  work. 
Research  work  along  the  lines  of  airship  development  is  conducted 
there. 

The  original  plant  built  at  Friedrichshafen  in  1910  included  a 
double  shed,  workshops,  offices  and  laboratory  buildings.  The  shed 
would  not  accommodate  ships  of  greater  diameter  than  52J/2  feet  (16 
meters),  so  in  1914  new  workshops  and  another  shed  was  built,  to  be 
followed  the  next  year  by  a  still  larger  shed. 

(29) 


PLATE  30 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Schwaben",  1912. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Schwaben",  1910. 
Count  Zeppelin  and  Doctor  Eckener  in  the  pilot  car. 


During  1915  and  1916  better  workshops  (Plate  16),  offices  and  a 
larger  laboratory,  together  with  the  largest  wind  tunnel  on  earth 
were  completed,  along  with  a  low  pressure  chamber  for  testing 
motors,  a  new  development  as  unique  as  it  was  important  to  the 
automotive  science. 

The  Hydrogen  Plant 

The  original  hydrogen  plant  was  enlarged  to  a  capacity  output  of 
353,100  cubic  feet  (10,000  cubic  meters)  daily,  with  storage  facilities 
for  2,118,600  cubic  feet  (60,000  cubic  meters).  Since  the  war,  the 
storage  facilities  have  been  reduced  to  706,200  cubic  feet  (20,000 
cubic  meters)  by  order  of  the  Allied  Commission. 

Powerful  Radio  Station 

The  Zeppelin  wireless  plant,  started  in  1910,  has  continued  to 
develop  with  the  science  of  radio  and  is  now  able  to  communicate 
with  the  United  States. 

The  duralumin  factory  is  capable  of  meeting  all  Zeppelin  require- 
ments. 

The  Great  Zeppelin  Hangars 

The  original  shed,  built  in  1908-09  and  first  used  in  1910,  is  now 
the  ring  building  factory,  where  the  great  transverse  frames  for  the 
Zeppelins  are  made.  It  is  603^/2  feet  (184  meters)  long,  150.8  feet 
(46  meters)  wide  and  stands  65.6  feet  (20  meters)  high — huge  dimen- 
sions in  the  early  days  but  utterly  dwarfed  by  the  great  sheds  which 
have  since  appeared  alongside.  There  are  double  doors  at  each 
end,  one  set  operated  on  the  turning,  the  other  on  the  sliding  prin- 
ciple. They  are  opened  and  closed  by  electricity  in  a  few  minutes. 

In  this  shed  twenty -eight  Zeppelins  were  assembled,  the  last 
being  LZ-39  after  which  it  was  devoted  to  the  transverse  ring  frames. 

(30) 


PLATE  31 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Victoria  Louise",  1912. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Victoria  Louise",  1912. 


Twenty  Zeppelins  were  built  in  the  new  shed,  number  one  (Plate 
16),  which  is  629.8  feet  (192  meters)  long,  129.23  feet  (39.4  meters) 
wide  and  91.8  feet  (28  meters)  high.  Its  double  sliding  doors  are 
electrically  operated. 

Six  of  the  larger  Zeppelins  were  either  built  or  reconstructed  in 
another  new  shed,  number  two,  erected  to  accommodate  ships  of 
1,942,050  cubic  feet  (55,000  cubic  meters)  and  more.  It  is  787.2 
feet  (240  meters)  long,  150.8  feet  (46  meters)  wide  and  114.8  feet 
(35  meters)  high.  Its  sliding  doors  can  be  opened  or  closed  within 
fifteen  minutes.  Both  of  the  large  sheds  have  long  docking  rails  at 
each  end  which  enables  the  Zeppelins  to  leave  or  return  to  shelter 
within  a  few  minutes. 

Another  shed  near  the  works  at  Loewental  was  turned  over  to 
Zeppelin  by  the  Government.  The  Navy  Zeppelin  L-ll  was  built 
there  in  1915.  The  last  one  was  the  navy  ship  L-72  which  was 
completed  as  the  armistice  was  signed.  It  was  not  inflated  for 
delivery;  and,  therefore,  remained  the  property  of  the  Zeppelin 
Company. 

In  the  spring  of  1919  the  L-72  was  outfitted  for  a  demonstration 
flight  from  Berlin  to  the  United  States  and  return;  but  it  was  pre- 
vented by  the  Allied  Commissions  which  ordered  it  to  be  kept  in  the 
shed  until  delivered  to  France.  All  the  Zeppelins  assembled  at 
Loewental  were  fabricated  at  the  main  plant  and  taken  there  only 
for  final  assembling  of  the  parts. 

The  Potsdam  Plant 

The  Zeppelin  plant  at  Potsdam  was  erected  in  1912  as  an 
airship  harbor  and  the  following  winter  became  one  of  the  main 
construction  centers  with  shed,  workshops,  and  other  necessary 
equipment.  Here  the  passenger  Zeppelin  "Sachsen"  was  lengthened 
early  in  1914.  The  last  of  the  sixteen  ships  built  there  was  the  army 

(31) 


PLATE  32 


rRHRT:     DES-    ZEPPCLmLUFTSCHtrrCS 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Victoria  Louise". 

The  ship's  1000th  trip,  totaling  40,000  miles  in  1292  hours  and  during  which  22,039  passengers 
were  carried  without  injury  of  any  kind. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Victoria  Louise". 
Count  Zeppelin  and  Doctor  Eckener  beneath  the  ship. 


Zeppelin  LZ-81  late  in  1916,  after  which,  because  the  shed  was  too 
small  for  the  larger  ships,  it  was  used  for  building  giant  seaplanes. 
Later  on  it  was  converted  into  a  special  repair  factory  of  all  the 
airship  motors.  The  airship  personnel  was  transferred  to  the 
Staaken  plant  near  Berlin. 

The  Colossal  Staaken  Plant 

The  Zeppelin-Staaken  plant  (Plate  17),  located  in  the  outskirts 
of  Berlin  is  considered  the  most  modern  airship  factory  in  the  world. 

Into  it  were  put  all  the  knowledge  and  experience  of  ten  years  of 
practical  airship  production.  There  were  at  one  time  two  large 
sheds  820  feet  (250  meters)  long,  150.8  feet  (46  meters)  wide  and 
114.8  feet  (35  meters)  high,  with  a  ring  building  shed  between  them, 
great  workshops,  research  laboratories,  administration  building, 
hydrogen  plant  and  all  accessories. 

The  latest  and  most  efficient  machinery  and  tools  then  devised 
were  provided.  A  large  airdrome  was  constructed,  as  it  was  planned 
to  make  Staaken  the  postwar  center  of  Zeppelin  airship  activity. 

Here  is  was  planned  to  locate  both  stationary  and  rotary  sheds, 
the  latter  turning  like  a  locomotive  turn-table,  making  it  possible  to 
point  their  entrances  in  any  direction  the  prevailing  wind  might 
dictate,  to  insure  safe  launching  or  landing  of  the  Zeppelins.  Then 
there  were  to  be  airplane  factories  on  the  same  airdrome.  It  was 
at  the  Staaken  plant  that  the  L-59  was  fabricated  for  the  record 
flight  to  German  East  Africa  and  return.  In  all,  twelve  Zeppelins 
were  built  there. 

The  Duralumin  Works 

During  the  war  two  plants  were  put  up  in  the  vicinity  of  Fried- 
richshafen  for  making  duralumin  materials  such  as  angle  bars, 
strips,  all  kinds  of  girders,  and  other  parts  of  the  Zeppelin  skeleton. 
They  were  operated  for  the  most  part  with  female  labor. 

(32) 


PLATE  33 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Hansa",  1912. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Sachsen",  1913. 


The  Woodworking  Factory 

A  woodworking  factory  (Holzindustrie  G.M.B.H.-Meckenbeuren) 
also  was  established  near  Friedrichshafen  for  the  manufacture  of 
propellers,  etc.  It  has  recently  been  enlarged  and  is  operating  at 
full  capacity  producing  materials  for  buildings,  dwellings,  etc. 
During  the  war  the  specially  designed  Zeppelin  propellers  were  made 
at  Goeppingen. 

The  Maybach  Motor  Works 

One  of  the  accessory  companies  founded  by  Zeppelin  in  1909 
was  the  Maybach  Motor  Factory  (Maybach-Motorenbau)  (Plate 
18),  at  Friedrichshafen.  It  was  enlarged  considerably  during  the 
war,  supplying  practically  all  the  airship  motors  used.  Today  the 
Maybach  works  include  three  large  three  story  factory  buildings, 
parts  of  which  are  devoted  to  executive  offices,  two  workshops  of 
recent  origin  occupying  two  acres,  many  engine  testing  stands, 
laboratory,  and  a  power  plant  fully  equipped  with  the  latest  ma- 
chinery. The  entire  plant  is  under  the  management  of  Mr.  May- 
bach,  inventor  of  the  only  motor  designed  for  airships  alone.  One 
reason  for  the  peculiar  efficiency  of  the  plant  is  the  special  work- 
man's training  department  which  has  received  considerable  atten- 
tion from  the  executives. 

The  first  Maybach  motors  were  produced  in  1912  (Plate  19), 
and  were  140  and  180  horsepower.  They  contributed  largely  to  the 
success  of  the  commercial  Zeppelin  before  the  war.  In  1915  a  240 
horsepower  motor  was  built,  and  this  was  the  principal  motor  used 
on  the  military  and  naval  Zeppelins.  Maybach  produced  an  entirely 
new  motor  in  1917.  It  supplied  from  260  to  320  horsepower  and  is 
noted  as  the  first  supercompression  motor.  Quickly  recognized  as 
the  best  engine  for  airplanes,  it  became  the  leading  German  aviation 
motor  until  late  in  1918  when  other  motors  built  on  similar  prin- 

(33) 


PLATE  34 


"DELAG"-Zeppelin  Harbor  at  Frankfort  a.M.,  1912. 


"DELAG"-Zeppelin  Harbor  at  Baden-Baden,  1910. 


ciples  appeared  and  were  found  more  adaptable  to  the  planes.  May- 
bach,  meanwhile,  developed  other  types  (Plate  20),  principally  160 
and  260  horsepower  units  for  heavier-than-air  craft. 

The  following  table  illustrates  the  development  in  types  and  per- 
formance of  engines : 

Performance  of  Engines — 1892-1918 


Year 

Motor 

H.  P. 

Revolutions 
per  Minute 

Weight 
Kg. 

Unit 
Weight 
Kg./H.  P. 

Fuel 
Consumption 
Gr./hp-hr 

1892 

Diamler 

11 

440 

500 

45,5 

500 

1899 

Diamler 

15 

'680 

385 

25,7 

400 

1905 

Diamler  

90 

1050 

360 

4,00 

1907 

Diamler     

100 

1080 

400 

4,00 

265-240 

1909 

Diamler               

115 

1100 

420 

3,65 

1910 

Diamler 

120 

1100 

450 

3,75 

225 

1910 

Maybach  

145 

1100 

450 

3,1 

240 

1913 

Mavbach     

180 

1200 

462 

2,56 

225 

1914 

Maybach         .        .  . 

210 

1250 

414 

1,97 

225 

1915 

Maybach 

240 

1400 

365 

1,52 

200 

1917 

Maybach 

260 

1400 

400 

1,54 

200 

1918 

Mavbach  

260 

1400 

390 

1.50 

200 

The  Employment  and  Training  System 

Apprentices  and  girls  are  given  a  thorough  examination  and  test 
to  determine  their  fitness  for  the  work,  which  requires  the  utmost 
accuracy.  Then  they  enter  a  twelve  weeks  probationary  service. 
Their  apprenticeship  lasts  four  years.  All  apprentices  are  given 
instruction  by  engineers  and  foremen  in  physics,  chemistry,  knowl- 
edge of  materials,  model  making,  foundry  work,  algebraic  calcula- 
tion methods,  the  handling  of  graphics,  curves,  statistics,  price  cal- 
culation, machines  and  tools  and  particularly  the  principles  and 
functions  of  internal  combustion  engines. 

On  January  1st,  1918,  1980  workmen  were  employed,  416  of 
them  women.  There  were  57  women  on  the  executive  and  office 
staff  of  217.  On  November  1st,  that  year,  3300  workmen  and  349 
others  were  employed,  599  of  them  women. 


(34) 


PLATE  35 


"DELAG "-Zeppelin  Harbor  at  Hamburg,  1912. 


"DELAG"-Zeppelin  Harbor  at  Leipzig,  1913. 
"Sachsen"  landing  for  first  time  after  completion  of  harbor  June  1913. 


The  Zeppelin-Maybach  Gearless  Car 

In  the  fall  of  1921  Maybach  exhibited  for  the  first  time  the  22-70 
horsepower  gearless  motor  car,  designed  to  simplify  operation.  Only 
what  is  termed  the  direct  speed  is  used  in  driving;  except  for  grades 
of  more  than  10%,  and  for  the  starting  on  these  grades,  when  apart 
from  the  rest  of  the  mechanism  a  single  gear  is  used  by  pushing  down 
a  pedal.  When  it  is  released,  the  direct  grip  is  automatically  restored 
without  noise  or  vibration.  Backing  is  accomplished  with  the  elec- 
tric starting  motor  by  means  of  a  pedal.  Smaller  cars  of  this  type 
are  now  under  construction. 

New  Methods  of  Gas  Bag  Fabrication 

The  early  gas  bags  for  the  Zeppelins  were  made  of  rubberized 
cotton  fabric.  This  material  was  comparatively  heavy  and  further, 
it  allowed  the  hydrogen  gas  to  deteriorate  during  prolonged  opera- 
tions. Count  Zeppelin  experimented  with  various  materials,  par- 
ticularly goldbeater  skins,  which  are  the  big  intestines  of  oxen  and 
other  cattle,  treated  until  they  become  like  leather  and  then  they 
are  very  thin,  tough  and  so  durable  that  they  wear  much  longer  than 
fabric.  Zeppelin  learned  that  goldbeater's  skins  held  gas  better, 
also,  and  unlike  rubberized  fabric,  practically  eliminated  the  danger 
of  electrical  sparks  due  to  friction  or  tearing. 

He  organized  the  Gasbag  Manufacturing  Company  (Ballon- 
Hullen  G.M.B.H.)  at  Templehof  in  1912,  to  carry  out  this  develop- 
ment and  goldbeater's  skins  were  used  exclusively,  as  the  loss  of  two 
Zeppelins  that  year  was  traced  directly  to  the  balloon  fabric  in  the 
gas  bags  causing  sparks  which  exploded  the  hydrogen.  The  ships 
were  the  LZ-12  and  the  Schwaben,  the  former  exploding  during  in- 
flation and  the  latter  while  moored  at  Dusseldorf. 

The  gold  beater  skins  possess  certain  disadvantages,  however. 
For  one  thing,  they  were  difficult  to  handle  because  of  their  small 

(35) 


'DEL AG "-Zeppelin  Harbors  at  Liegnitz  and  Dresden,  1913-14 


"DEL AG "-Zeppelin  Harbor  and  Manufacturing  Plant  at  Potsdam  (near  Berlin),  1915. 


size;  so  they  were  shingled  on  to  thin  cotton  fabric.  Since  1917  silk 
has  been  used,  the  combination  when  prepared  being  so  light  and 
thin  as  to  be  transparent.  In  fact,  the  Zeppelins  hulls  are  them- 
selves nearly  transparent,  the  fabric  envelope  and  gas  bags  being  so 
thin  that  one  can  make  out  figures  silhouetted  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  hull  when  it  faces  the  light. 

The  Tempelhof  factory,  with  Mr.  Trenkmann  as  Manager,  now 
includes  many  buildings  and  workshops,  several  put  up  recently  for 
dyeing  and  treating  fabrics.  During  the  war  a  thousand  persons 
were  employed.  The  gas  bags  used  in  all  the  German  airships  were 
made  there;  and  the  factory  working  with  another  firm  under  a 
patent  license  agreement,  made  a  majority  of  the  German  observa- 
tion balloons. 

The  Maag-Zeppelin  Gear  Works 

It  was  not  long  after  the  war  started  that  Count  Zeppelin  had 
difficulty  in  securing  delivery  of  cog-wheels,  etc.  In  1915  he  co- 
operated with  Mr.  Maag,  a  Swiss  engineer,  in  starting  the  Fried- 
richshafen  Cog-wheel  and  Gear  Factory  (Zahnradfabrik  Friedrich- 
shafen  G.M.B.H),  another  subsidiary  (Plate  18.)  The  plant  is  as 
modern  as  they  could  make  it.  The  buildings  occupy  three  acres. 
They  include  office  buildings,  workshops  for  hobbing,  heat-treating, 
grinding  and  polishing  cog-wheels  and  the  complete  gear  transmis- 
sions. Aluminum  castings  are  obtained  from  the  foundry  of  the 
parent  company,  Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin. 

The  gear  works  is  equipped  throughout  with  automatic  machines 
built  on  the  Maag  patents.  His  cog-wheel  involves  a  new  principle, 
giving  utmost  safety  and  freedom  from  wear  and  noise.  Specially 
designed  testing  machines  are  used,  guaranteeing  precision  of  the 
gear  wheels. 

(36) 


PLATE  37 


DELAG"  Zeppelin  Route  Chart,  1912-13. 


During  the  war  the  company  made  all  the  gearing  on  the  Zep- 
pelins and  airplanes.  The  factory  is  now  operating  at  full  capacity, 
employing  500  men,  making  motor  car  gears,  transmissions,  etc. 
The  manager  is  Dipl.  Ing.  Count  von  Soden. 

The  Hangar  Construction  Company 

Back  in  1913  a  subsidiary  was  founded,  first  as  a  consulting 
engineering  concern;  but  soon  thereafter  it  became  the  Zeppelin 
Hangar  Construction  Company  (Zeppelin  Hallenbau  G.  M.  B.  H.). 
Through  long  practical  experience  it  is  prepared  to  build  and  equip 
complete  airship  harbors  and  dock  yards,  prepare  landing  fields 
and  airdromes.  One  of  the  principal  developments  with  which  it 
has  been  accredited  is  the  rotary  shed,  single  or  double.  It  has 
erected  special  workshops,  gas  plants  and  all  the  accessories  of  a 
modern  flying  terminal. 

The  company  designed  and  constructed  the  two  modern  sheds  at 
Friedrichshafen,  the  entire  Staaken  plant,  the  "DELAG"  airship 
harbors  and  nearly  all  the  other  airports  in  Germany.  Many 
hangars  and  workshops  in  Germany  today  were  put  up  by  the  com- 
pany using  specially  patented  construction  methods.  In  all  some 
twenty-four  complete  airship  harbors  have  been  built  from  start  to 
finish  by  this  organization,  which  is  under  the  management  of  Mr. 
Milatz  and  his  staff  of  experts  varying  between  20  and  a  hundred 
members. 

Zeppelin  Production  of  Airplanes 

In  1916,  the  airship  building  personnel  conducted  experiments 
with  airplanes  made  of  airship  duralumin  girders  covered  with 
fabric.  The  object  was  to  secure  a  plane  which  would  meet  the 
technical  requirements  of  aerial  photography.  Though  their  activi- 
ties were  devoted  to  the  airship  building  programme,  the  engineers 
managed  to  produce  an  experimental  machine  of  that  type.  On  its 

(37) 


PLATE  38 


03' 


first  trials,  it  proved  so  superior  to  existing  types  that  the  army 
urgently  requested  early  delivery  of  a  number  of  machines.  There 
was  little  time  to  do  the  work,  however,  and  at  the  end  of  the  war 
only  twenty  had  been  completed.  They  were  destroyed,  afterward, 
under  the  terms  of  the  Versailles  treaty. 

There  were  other  airplane  enterprises  organized  by  Count  Zep- 
pelin, which  remain  today  leaders  in  their  respective  fields.  Zeppelin 
was  the  first  person  to  conceive  of  the  giant  all-metal  flying  boats 
(Plates  21  and  22),  and  all-metal  airplanes. 

The  Zeppelin-Dornier  Metal  Monoplanes 

He  organized  a  small  group  within  the  parent  company,  Luff- 
schiffbau-Zeppelin,  in  1912.  It  was  the  first  concern  exclusively 
engaged  in  all-metal  airplane  construction.  Today  the  great  plant 
of  Dornier  Metallbau  G.  M.  B.  H.  at  Seemoos,  near  Friedrichshafen 
is  noted  the  world  over  for  its  remarkable  development  in  heavier- 
then-air  craft,  which  are  named  Dornier,  after  the  manager  and 
chief  engineer.  From  the  first  Count  Zeppelin  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  Claude  Dornier  ample  funds  with  which  he  was  able  to 
follow  utterly  new  and  original  methods  in  developing  all-metal 
planes  on  a  strictly  scientific  basis. 

It  had  never  been  done  before.  The  plant  in  six  years  developed 
from  a  small  experimental  workshop  to  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
world.  At  Seemoos  there  are  located  a  great  hangar,  office  build- 
ings, workshops,  turntables,  slips  and  other  facilities  for  landing  and 
withdrawing  the  huge  Dornier  flying  boats.  Another  great  factory 
was  erected  at  Lindau  in  1918  but  has  not  been  used  for  reasons  of 
economy. 

As  progress  was  made  in  designing,  constructing  and  testing 
metal  planes,  Dornier  devoted  the  work  practically  toward  perfec- 
tion of  internally  braced  monoplanes.  The  monoplane  principle 

(38) 


PLATE  39 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Nordstern",  1919. 
A  sister  ship  of  the  "Bodensee." 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Nordstern." 
Interior  view  of  the  passenger  cabin. 


was  maintained  from  the  beginning.  Today  it  is  recognized  generally 
as  the  most  desirable  type.  New  designs,  methods  of  handling 
metal,  experiments  with  various  kinds  of  construction,  newly  in- 
vented machine  tools,  experimental  planes  and  models,  each  an 
advance  in  efficiency,  invariably  something  newly  discovered  in  the 
infant  science  of  aerodynamics — these  were  the  activities  of  Dornier 
and  his  staff  in  six  years. 

The  results  were  Dornier's  all-metal  planes,  possessing  from  55 
to  2,400  horsepower.  They  had  just  started  quantity  production  of 
big  planes  and  flying  boats  in  the  factories  at  Lindau  and  Seemos 
\vhen  the  German  revolution  halted  all  activities.  Since  then, 
though  hampered  by  the  treaty  stipulations,  the  company  has  de- 
veloped a  series  of  commercial  types  unexcelled  in  construction, 
performance  and  safe  operation.  Since  the  war  both  commercial 
land  planes  and  flying  boats  powered  with  from  one  to  three  engines 
have  been  produced. 

Twenty-one  Dornier  Designs 

During  the  war  their  products  included  pursuit  planes,  single 
motor  two-place  fighters  (Plate  23),  two  and  three  motored  bombing 
planes  and  four  and  multi-engined  giant  planes — all  for  over  land 
flying.  Seaplane  types  included  single  engine  two-place  fighters, 
two  and  three  motored  flying  boats  and  four  and  multi-engine  giant 
flying  boats.  More  than  one  hundred  domestic  patents  were  held 
and  more  than  250  filed  in  foreign  patent  offices.  Twenty-one  dif- 
ferent designs  for  experimental  types  had  been  produced,  seventeen 
of  them  worked  out  in  as  many  machines  which  were  flown,  and 
four  Plates  24-25-26-27  made  into  models  Plates  24-25-26-27.  The 
following  is  a  list  of  the  experimental  personnel  year  by  year: 

1915          1916          1917          1918          1919          1920 

Engineers 15  25  25  69  52  23 

Workmen 30  250  300  547  207  80 

(39) 


PLATE  40 


QDENSEE 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
Landing  at  Friedrichshafen  September  1919. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee.' 
Floating  in  the  large  shed  at  Friedrichshafen. 


Zeppelin  Builds  Giant  Airplanes 

But  there  was  another  angle  to  the  Zeppelin  airplane  activities. 
Count  Zeppelin  held  the  rank  of  General  in  the  German  Army.  He 
had  long  been  in  a  position  which  kept  him  informed  of  the  needs 
of  the  fighting  forces.  For  several  months  after  the  declaration  of 
war  he  observed  the  heavy  tasks  to  which  his  airships  were  put  and 
then  undertook  the  development  of  larger  airplanes,  far  larger  than 
any  existing  in  the  world  at  the  time. 

He  consulted  the  noted  aviator  Hillmuth  Hieth,  and  together 
they  conferred  with  Professor  Baumann  of  the  technical  university 
at  Stuttgart.  Bauman  was  already  noted  for  his  work  as  an  aero- 
nautical engineer.  Within  a  few  months  they  produced  a  multi- 
engined giant  bomber.  It  proved  successful.  To  produce  these 
machines  in  quantity  the  Zeppelin  works  at  Staaken  were  erected 
at  the  same  time  as  the  airship  building  plant.  The  airplane  fac- 
tory at  Staaken  soon  employed  more  than  a  thousand  men  in 
turning  out  the  giant  night  bombers,  numbers  of  which  were  flown 
in  the  raids  over  London  and  Paris  in  1917  and  1918. 

The  Airplane  Works  at  Staaken 

The  plant  at  Staaken  was  complete,  including  two  great  airplane 
assembling  sheds,  workshops,  offices,  etc.  It  is  now  closed.  Other 
German  firms  have  built  similar  bombing  planes  under  the  Zeppelin 
patents.  Twenty-six  of  them  were  built  at  Staaken,  however. 

They  had  a  137.76  foot  (42  meters)  wing  span,  carried  4.5  tons 
useful  load,  could  climb  to  a  height  of  14,760  feet  (4,500  meters) 
with  their  motors  which  aggregated  1,250  horsepower.  Their  aver- 
age speed  was  90  miles  per  hour  (Plate .23). 

Other  machines  were  built,  smaller,  but  of  all-metal  construc- 
tion. After  the  war  "The  Staaken  Giant"  (Plate  24)  was  put  into 
commission.  It,  too,  was  all-metal,  carried  four  motors  and  was 

(40) 


PLATE  41 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Xordstern." 
Leaving  Friedrichshafen  for  France.    Note  the  progressive  increase  in  the  size  of  the  sheds. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
Passengers  enjoying  an  excursion  over  Berlin. 


distinctly  a  commercial  plane.  During  many  successful  trials  it 
carried  eighteen  passengers  at  a  speed  of  145  miles  an  hour.  Later 
on,  a  two-engine  commercial  land  plane  was  nearing  completion  when 
the  Inter-allied  Aeronautical  Commission  ordered  all  work  stopped, 
and  the  activities  at  Staaken  ceased. 

Social  Welfare  Institutions  of  the  Zeppelin  Organizations 

One  of  the  main  requisites  for  success  in  any  industry  is  the  wel- 
fare of  the  men  and  women  employed;  and  the  establishment  of  the 
great  Zeppelin  organization  created  a  community  of  employes  in  the 
small  town  on  Lake  Constance  which  demanded  increasing  atten- 
tion as  the  organization  expanded. 

At  first  questions  of  industrial  and  social  welfare  were  settled  by 
a  special  department  within  Liffschiffbau-Zeppelin,  but  in  September, 
1913,  a  separate  organization  (Zeppelin  Wohlfabrit  G.  M.  B.  H.)  was 
provided.  Count  Zeppelin  specified  that  homes  for  the  men  be  pro- 
vided immediately;  that  they  should  be  built  "economically  but 
that  they  should  make  for  comfort."  One  hundred  and  one  single 
family  houses  were  completed  in  July,  1916,  and  the  new  community 
was  named  Zeppelindorf  (Zeppelin  village)  (Plate  29).  Each  house 
sits  in  a  garden  which  enables  the  occupant  to  raise  his  own  vege- 
tables and  fruits. 

The  club  house  was  opened  in  March,  1917.  Here  is  a  large 
dining  room  for  the  workmen,  which  is  also  used  for  concerts,  plays, 
meetings  and  other  social  activities.  There  are  several  club  rooms. 
Nearby  are  the  laundry,  ice  plant,  steam  plant,  and  other  common 
utilities.  The  "Inn"  and  general  store  are  also  patronized  by  the 
people  of  Friedrichshafen. 

Later  an  agricultural  department  was  established  for  the  purpose 
of  supplying  good  food  at  low  prices.  Five  large  farms  are  worked 
by  this  branch  and  cattle  raising  and  fruit  growing  have  made  it  one 
of  the  most  notable  institutions  in  Central  Europe. 

(41) 


PLATE  42 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
The  crew  at  the  finish  of  the  ship's  100th  flight  between  Berlin  and  Friedrichshafen,  December  1919. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Nordstern." 
Control  car,  front  view. 


There  is  a  savings  bank  which  pays  slightly  more  than  the  ordi- 
nary interest  rate  which  followed  the  erection  of  the  public  library 
where  all  employees  are  encouraged  in  self -instruct  ion.  All  sorts 
of  scientific  books,  popular  works  and  magazines  are  provided, 
beside  the  many  lectures.  Courses  in  domestic  science  are  held  for 
the  women. 

There  was  so  much  building  to  be  done  that  a  brick  factory 
became  one  of  the  most  important  institutions  in  Zeppelin  Village, 
which  has  also  acquired  an  athletic  field  under  the  direction  of  an 
instructor  in  physical  culture. 

Practically  the  same  community,  with  all  the  institutions,  etc., 
has  been  created  for  the  Zeppelin  workers  at  Staaken,  on  the  out- 
skirts of  Berlin. 


(42) 


PLATE  43 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Nordstern."  • 
Elevator  Rudder  and  Altitude  Controls. 


Chief  Engineer's  Station  Engine  Telegraphs. 


Steering  Wheel  and  Compass. 


CHAPTER  III 

Operations  of  Commercial  Zeppelins 

ATTRACTED  by  Count  Zeppelin's  earlier  flights,  hundreds 
of  persons  made  reservations  for  the  regularly  conducted 
commercial  trips,  when  in  1910  he  organized  the  Deutsche 
Luftschiffart,  A.  G.  (German  Air  Ship  Transportation  Co.),  briefly 
called   the    "DELAG"     There   was  apparently  a  popular   demand 
for  commercial  airship  transport.     Zeppelin  founded  the  "DELAG" 
to  meet  this  demand,  and  also  to  provide  operating  personnel  and 
train  pilots  and  crews  for  the  other  services,  which  he  knew,  would 
be  necessary  in  case  of  emergency. 

The  "DELAG"  was  capitalized  for  3,000,000  marks  (approxi- 
mately $714,000)  and  while  it  was  a  subsidiary  of  Luftschiffbau- 
Zeppelin,  there  also  participated  in  this  commercial  operating  organ 
ization  a  number  of  capitalists,  whose  faith  in  commercial  air  trans- 
port was  fully  justified  by  the  success  of  the  "DELAG"  despite 
much  difficulty  the  first  year  or  so  due  to  lack  of  meteorological  data 
and  inexperience. 

The  First  Air  Transport  Company 

During  the  latter  part  of  1910,  minor  accidents  occurred  which 
sometimes  damaged  the  airships  and  disrupted  the  service,  but  in 
1911  a  comparatively  regular  service  was  established  and  maintained. 
The  principal  ship  was  the  "Schwaben,"  (Plates  5  and  30)  which  was 
far  superior  to  her  predecessors  and  which  had  the  advantage  of  new 
and  larger  sheds  at  the  Zeppelin-"DELAG"  airports.  The  schedule 
maintained  by  the  "Schwaben"  justifies  the  assertion  that  the 
"DELAG"  operated  the  first  commercial  aerial  transport  company 
on  earth.  Her  success  encouraged  expansion,  and  in  1912,  two 

(43) 


PLATE  44 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
On  an  excursion  over  lake  district  near  Potsdam. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
Passengers  at  Friedrichshafen  embarking  for  Berlin. 


additional  ships,  the  "Victoria  Louise"  (Plates  31-32)  and  the 
"Hansa"  (Plate  33)  were  built  and  entered  the  "DELAG" 
service,  to  be  followed  the  next  year  by  the  "Sachsen",  (Plate  33). 

Part  of  the  Aviation  Reserve 

The  German  Army  commandeered  all  these  commercial  Zeppelins 
at  the  start  of  the  war.  They  were  used  partly  for  military  duty 
and  partly  as  training  ships  for  the  many  necessary  crews.  The 
first  year  of  the  war,  they  added  hundreds  of  flights  to  the  commercial 
record  they  had  already  made;  but  gradually  became  obsolete  and 
were  dismantled  to  make  room  for  the  newer  and  more  efficient 
types  being  turned  out  at  the  Zeppelin  Plants. 

The  headquarters  of  the  "DELAG"  were  at  Frankfort.  It  was 
from  that  city  that  the  chief  executives  controlled  operations.  The 
Business  Manager  had  charge  of  the  financial  and  commercial  activi- 
ties. He  supervised  salaries,  purchase  of  supplies,  materials,  etc. 
Flying  operations  were  in  charge  of  a  Director  of  Flight.  He  had 
charge  of  the  personnel  at  the  air  harbors ;  and  all  technical  problems 
were  put  up  to  him. 

The  crew  of  a  commercial  Zeppelin  included  the  pilot,  a  reserve 
pilot,  a  flight  mechanic,  helmsmen  and  engineers,  the  number  depend- 
ing on  the  nature  of  the  flight,  a  wireless  operator  and  a  ship's  steward. 
The  crew  usually  aggregated  twelve  men. 

Created  the  First  Airship  Harbor 

As  far  as  practicable,  each  Zeppelin  was  assigned  to  a  definite 
air  harbor,  which  was  known  as  its  home  station,  or  terminal.  Here 
all  the  repairs  and  maintenance  were  done.  The  members  of  the 
crew  were  assigned  to  suitable  homes,  all  located  in  that  immediate 
vicinity.  The  maintenance  crews  for  airships  and  sheds  were  also 
stationed  there.  These  auxiliaries  averaged  thirty  persons  under  the 

(44) 


PLATE  45 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
Crew's  Quarters. 


Water  Ballast  Bag,  Capacity  300  Kilos. 


Wireless  Room. 


direction  of  a  foreman.  They,  too,  formed  the  nucleus  for  the  landing 
party  necessary  to  handle  the  airships  on  arrival  or  departure.  Each 
air  harbor  had  a  manager  and  his  assistants  to  handle  business  details. 
When  the  Zeppelin  arrived  at  its  home  port,  and  during  its 
sojourn  there  the  pilot  was  in  sole  command  of  both  ship  and  air 
station.  He  was  held  strictly  accountable  for  the  safety  of  his  ship; 
and  acted  as  both  station  master  and  flying  officer,  subject  only  to 
instruction  from  the  Director  of  Flight.  The  pilot  alone  made  the 
decisions  as  to  whether  or  not  he  should  make  a  flight,  when  he  should 
start  and  the  number  of  passengers  and  crew  he  would  carry.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that  this  system  was  adopted  for  the  entire 
German  airship  force  during  the  war.  In  fact,  practically  all  airship 
personnel  was  trained  by  the  "DELAG." 

Like  Land  and  Water  Services 

There  was  no  special  organization  for  selling  passenger  accom- 
modations. Agents  of  the  Hamburg-American  Line  ("HAPAG") 
which  had  offices  in  all  German  cities,  also  represented  Zeppelin, 
and  reservations  were  made  on  the  same  basis  as  for  ocean  going 
vessels. 

The  "Deutschland"  was  the  first  Zeppelin  operated  by  the 
"DELAG."  The  motors,  however,  were  not  very  dependable;  and 
the  low  speed  of  the  ship,  combined  with  lack  of  experience  made  it 
susceptible  to  minor  accidents.  The  Deutschland  was  so  badly 
damaged,  finally,  that  Zeppelin  was  compelled  to  rebuild  her.  Dur- 
ing the  period  that  she  was  being  reconstructed  the  Zeppelin  LZ-6 
was  substituted. 

The  "Schwaben"  Filled  all  Requirements 

The  first  ship  to  fill  the  requirements  essential  to  safe  and  steady 
commercial  operations  was  the  "Schwaben"  built  in  the  summer  of 
1911.  She  was  459.2  feet  (140  meters)  long,  45.9  feet  (14  meters)  in 

(45) 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Nordstern." 
Interior  view  with  gas  bags  removed. 


diameter,  and  of  615,580  cubic  feet  (18,000  cubic  meters)  hydrogen 
gas  capacity.  Her  three  May  bach  145  horespower  motors  gave  the 
"Schwaben"  a  speed  of  43  miles  an  hour  (19.3  meters  per  sec- 
ond). She  had  a  useful  lift  of  8,818.4  pounds  (4,000  kilograms). 
During  the  latter  part  of  1911  more  than  a  hundred  flights  were 
made  with  the  "Schwaben"  between  Lake  Constance,  Nieder- 
heim,  Gotha,  and  Berlin.  These  flights  warranted  larger  ships. 

In  March  1912,  the  "DELAG"  put  into  operation  the  new 
Zeppelin  "Victoria  Louise"  (Plates  31-32)  and  in  the  summer, 
her  sister  ship  the  "Hansa".  These  Zeppelins  were  485.4  feet  (148 
meters)  long  and  45.9  feet  (14  meters)  in  diameter.  They  each 
held  670,890  cubic  feet  (19,000  cubic  meters)  of  hydrogen  and  their 
useful  lift  was  11,023  pounds  (5,000  kilograms).  Motors  had  been 
so  improved  that  the  "Victoria  Louise"  and  "Hansa"  were 
able  to  make  44.7  and  46.9  miles  per  hour  respectively. 

Accommodations  for  Many  Passengers 

Each  Zeppelin  accommodated  twenty -four  passengers  besides  the 
crew.  Warm  meals  were  served  from  the  up  to  date  electrical 
kitchen.  There  was  wireless  aboard,  also. 

The  ships  gave  complete  satisfaction  during  hundreds  of  flights 
made  over  constantly  increasing  distances.  They  won  the  confidence 
of  the  traveling  public;  and  equally  important  j  had  supplied  much 
valuable  experience  and  information,  for  they  operated  in  all  kinds 
of  weather  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 

In  1913,  the  new  Zeppelin,  "Sachsen",  (Plate  33)  was  added  to 
the  "DELAG"  fleet.  She  had  a  length  of  459.2  feet  (140  meters) 
and  a  diameter  of  49.2  feet  (15  meters)  which  increased  the  lift 
because  she  carried  670,890  cubic  feet  (19,000  cubic  meters)  of  hy- 
drogen which  gave  Jier  a  useful  lift  of  more  than  13,227.6  pounds 
(6,000  kilograms).  Her  speed  was  better  than  48  miles  an  hour  and 
she  carried  twenty-four  passengers. 

(46) 


PLATE  47 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
Interior  view  gas  bags  not  inflated. 


New  and  larger  sheds  were  built  for  the  "DELAG"  as  the  fleet 
increased  in  size.  When  they  first  commenced  flying  there  were 
only  two  airship  sheds  in  addition  to  the  one  at  Friedrichshafen. 
These  were  at  Baden-Baden  and  at  Dusseldorf.  They  owned  the 
shed  at  Baden-Baden  and  leased  from  the  municipality  the  one  at 
Dusseldorf.  Toward  the  end  of  1911  others  were  available,  one  at 
Johannisthal  near  Berlin  and  one  at  Gotha.  In  1912  two  more  were 
ready,  one  at  Frankfort  on  the  main,  owned  by  the  "DELAG,"  and 
one  at  Potsdam,  owned  by  Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin.  In  1913  the 
municipalities  of  Hamburg,  Leipzig  and  Dresden  erected  sheds. 
(Plates  34-35-36.)  In  the  beginning  the  sheds  were  single  but  the 
ones  Jbuilt  after  the  "DELAG"  had  started  regular  schedules, 
accommodated  two  ships  side  by  side.  Some  of  the  sheds  were 
huge,  often  196.8  feet  (60  meters)  wide. 

Development  of  Adequate  Hangar.? 

They  were  provided  with  electric  lights,  water  supply  and  docking 
rails,  which  extended  from  either  end.  Special  piping  conveyed  the 
hydrogen  from  plant  to  shed.  All  sheds  had  railway  connections, 
and  were  equipped  with  waiting  rooms  for  passengers  and  crews, 
as  well  as  workshops  and  accessory  buildings.  The  airship  harbors 
built  by  the  "DELAG"  and  Zeppelin  had  particularly  extensive 
workshops,  for  besides  the  regular  maintenance  work,  they  produced 
many  new  parts  and  instruments  for  navigating  Zeppelins. 

At  every  shed  there  was  a  meteorological  station  fitted  with 
barometers,  barographs,  thermographs,  and  a  theodolite  for  measure- 
ment of  the  wind  velocity  in  the  upper  atmosphere.  Weather 
observations  were  made  each  morning  and  telegraphed  to  all  other 
stations.  This  enabled  all  Zeppelin  pilots  to  be  thoroughly  informed 
before  setting  out  on  a  flight.  The  special  data  supplied  by  the 
Zeppelin  stations  was  more  adequate  for  airship  requirements  than 

(47) 


PLATE  48 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 

Power  gondola  (side)  containing  one  260  horsepower  Maybach  motor.    Note  ladder  communi- 
cating with  interior  of  ship. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 

Power  gondola  (rear)  containing  two  260  horsepower  Maybach  motors.   Note  ladder  communi- 
cating with  interior  of  ship. 


that  from  the  Government  official  weather  bureau.     Wireless  equip- 
ment was  installed  late  in  1913. 

Many  Long  Commercial  Flights 

The  average  commercial  flight  was  from  37  to  62  miles  (60  to  100 
kilometers)  from  1^  to  2 1/2  hours.  When  the  flights  were  from  one 
airship  harbor  to  another  they  often  lasted  four  and  sometimes  eight 
hours.  The  fare  was  determined  by  the  length  of  the  flight,  or  the 
mileage.  Round  trip  flights,  which  were  comparatively  short,  cost 
from  25  to  50  dollars  (one  to  two  hundred  marks.)  The  long  distance 
trips  ranged  from  60  to  150  dollars  (250  to  600  marks).  Many  single 
flights  "were  made  over  the  North  Sea.  The  "Victoria  Louise" 
often  flew  to  Helgoland,  Sylt  and  Norderney,  the  "Hansa"  to 
Copenhagen  and  the  "Sachsen"  to  Vienna.  These  flights  were 
characterized  as  pleasure  trips;  and  as  such  none  was  undertaken 
during  the  winter  months.  Instead,  the  Zeppelins  underwent  a 
thorough  overhauling.  Sometimes,  however,  a  Zeppelin  was  kept 
in  service  all  winter  to  train  airship  personnel  of  the  army  or  navy. 

Naturally  "DELAG"  became  noted  for  its  successful  operations; 
and  its  ships  were  repeatedly  chartered  by  the  military  or  naval 
personnel  for  training  flights . 

Developed  Airship  Navigation 

The  "DELAG"  has  been  credited  with  the  entire  development  of 
airship  navigating  technique.  For  one  thing,  it  was  the  only  organ- 
ization of  its  kind,  training  airship  personnel  in  practical  operations. 
The  "DELAG"  airships  and  airship  crews  were  used  almost  exclu- 
sively for  training  purposes  when  war  was  declared.  At  that  time 
there  were  two  other  airship  construction  companies  in  Germany, 
Schutte-Lanz  and  Parseval.  Both  of  these  organizations  procured 
their  airship  pilots  from  the  trained  personnel  of  the  "DELAG." 

(48) 


PLATE  49 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Nordstern." 
Rear  view  of  rear  power  gondola  containing  two  260  horsepower  Maybach  motors. 


Zeppelins  Operated  Safely 

All  of  the  flights  listed  in  the  following  table  were  made  without 
a  single  injury  to  passengers  or  crew.  The  Deutschland  had 
been  repeatedly  damaged  while  entering  or  leaving  her  shed  and  was 
rebuilt.  The  "Schwaben"  was  burned  at  her  moorings  during  a 
severe  storm.  It  is  now  known  that  all  these  accidents  could  have 
been  avoided,  in  view  of  the  progress  that  has  been  made  in  the 
science  of  lighter-than-air.  Experience  has  materially  increased  the 
performance  and  qualities  of  safety  in  airships.  Better  motors,  con- 
trols, gas  bags  and  other  parts  of  the  Zeppelin  have  been  so  improved 
as  to  preclude  possibility  of  accidents  such  as  those  which  occasion- 
ally hindered  the  operations  of  "DELAG"  before  the  war.  Each  of 
the  flights  listed  here  averaged  two  hours,  68  miles  (109  kilometers), 
traversed  with  22  passengers.  All  the  flights  aggregated  107,180 
miles  (172,535  kilometers),  more  than  four  times  the  girth  of  the  earth 
at  the  equator. 


Commercial  Operations  of  the  Zeppelin 


Airships 

Number 
of 
Flights 

Hours 

Total 
Mileage  in 
Kilometers 

Number  of 
Passengers 
Carried 

"Deutschland"  and  the  LZ-6     

62 

124 

6546 

1778 

"Schwaben"            

218 

480 

27321 

4354 

"Victoria  Louise"  

489 

981 

54312 

9738 

"Hansa"      .          

399 

841 

44437 

8521 

"Sachsen"     

419 

741 

39919 

9837 

Total  

1588 

3167 

172535 

34228 

(49) 


PLATE  50 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
Front  and  rear  views  of  rear  power  gondola.    Note  radiator  temperature  control  and  ladder. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
Interior  view  showing  location  of  fuel  tanks. 


Trained  Germany's  Airship  Forces 

In  the  early  days  of  the  war  the  "Victoria  Louise"  made 
more  than  a  thousand  training  flights  for  more  than  39,852  miles 
(64,152  kilometers)  in  1292  hours,  flying  time,  all  after  she  had  been 
added  to  the  military  training  forces.  Finally,  her  framework  be- 
came so  worn  that  she  was  dismantled.  The  "Sachsen"  and 
"Hansa"  (Plate  33)  performed  similar  service. 

From  the  Managing  Director  to  the  mechanics,  all  of  the  "DELAG" 
personnel  entered  the  service  during  the  war,  where  they  were  in- 
structors, and  it  was  due  to  them  that  the  numbers  of  Zeppelins 
launched  for  war  service  were  manned  by  crews  qualified  to  operate 
them. 

Commercial  Operations  Resumed 

The  real  work  for  which  the  "DELAG"  was  created,  "to  develop 
commercial  air  transport"  was  of  necessity  put  aside  during  the 
period  of  the  war,  but  these  activities  were  resumed  early  in  1919 
when  it  was  decided  to  start  a  regular  daily  passenger  service,  at 
first  between  Berlin  and  Friedrichshafen,  a  distance  of  373  miles 
(600  kilometers)  and  afteward  extend  it  to  Switzerland,  Italy,  Spain 
in  the  south  and  to  Sweden  in  the  north.  The  pre-war  personnel  of 
the  "DELAG"  was  assembled  at  Friedrichshafen  and  the  route  to 
Berlin  started  by  the  new  Zeppelin  "Bodensee"  on  August  24th, 
19i9  (Plate  38). 

The  "Bodensee"  an  Improved  Type 

The  "Bodensee"  was  designed  and  built  in  six  months  (Jan- 
uary to  July  1919),  by  Lufschiffbau-Zeppelin.  She  was  the  same 
size  as  the  pre-war  Commercial  Zeppelins,  but  had  twice  the  engine 
power,  carried  twice  their  useful  load  and  maintained  a  speed  equal 
with  the  former  ships  using  only  one-half  of  their  engine  power. 

(50) 


PLATE  51 


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The  "Bodensee"  was  426.4  feet  (130  meters)  long,  after  she 
had  been  lengthened  by  32.8  feet  (10  meters).  Her  diameter  was 
61.3  feet  (18.7  meters)  and  she  carried  794,475  cubic  feet  (22,500  cubic 
meters)  of  hydrogen.  Her  useful  load  normally  was  25,353  pounds 
(11,500  kilograms).  Her  four  motors  were  of  260  horsepower  each. 
They  turned  three  direct-driven  propellers,  one  in  each  of  the  port 
and  starboard  motor  gondolas  which  hung  from  the  sides  of  the  ship. 
The  third  propeller  was  driven  by  two  engines  in  the  rear  motor 
gondola.  The  propellers  averaged  from  1,300  to  1,400  revolutions 
a  minute.  The  "Bodensee"  was  capable  of  making  80  miles  an 
hour.  Her  cruising  speed  was  75  miles  an  hour. 

Carried  Thirty  Passengers 

At  this  pace  she  could  carry  thirty  passengers  comfortably.  They 
were  seated  in  a  luxurious  salon  (Plate  41)  built  in  the  pilot  car 
under  the  forward  part  of  the  Zeppelin.  Nearby  in  the  same  car 
were  a  kitchen  and  lavatory. 

The  "Bodensee"  was  maintained  on  the  Friedrichshaf en-Ber- 
lin route  to  experiment  further  in  commercial  air  transport.  While 
the  "DELAG"  did  not  attempt  to  make  a  profit,  expenses  were  kept 
as  low  as  possible  and  the  prospects  of  monetary  returns  were  gener- 
ally favorable. 

One  Hundred  and  Three  Flights  in  Ninety-Eight  Days 
From  August  24th  until  December  1st,  1919,  the  "Bodensee" 
made  103  flights  in  98  days;  on  several  days  making  two  flights,  one 
a  short  sightseeing  trip  over  Berlin  in  addition  to  her  regular  run. 
Seventy -eight  flights  were  made  between  Lake  Constance  and  Berlin 
and  two  between  Berlin  and  Stockholm,  eighty  trips  on  schedule  in 
ninety-eight  days.  There  was  no  flying  for  ten  days  owing  to  general 
overhaul  and  repairs.  On  three  occasions  the  regular  flights  were 

(51) 


PLATE  52 


1 


•3.1 

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O> 

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postponed  because  of  heavy  cross  winds  which  made  it  difficult  and 
dangerous  to  start  the  Zeppelin  from  the  fixed  shed  of  the  airdrome 
at  Staaken.  This  meant  the  loss  of  six  trips.  Two  of  the  regular 
trips  were  omitted  because  of  the  flights  to  Sweden. 

Nevertheless,  in  that  period  2,380  passengers  were  carried,  exclu- 
sive of  crews,  about  11,000  pounds  (5,000  kilograms)  of  mail  and 
6,600  (300  kilograms)  of  express,  freight  and  baggage.  The 
"Bodensee"  was  in  the  air  533  hours,  flying  in  all  32,300  miles  (52,000 
kilometers)  an  average  of  62  miles  an  hour.  Notwithstanding  the 
many  unforeseen  difficulties  due  to  uncertain  political  and  economic 
conditions  in  Germany  during  the  last  quarter  of  1919,  the  technical 
results  of  the  "Bodensee"  operations  were  excellent. 

The  "Nordstern"  a  Sister  Ship 

A  sister  ship  of  the  "Bodensee"  was  built  during  the  last 
quarter  of  1919,  and  named  the  "Nordstern"  but  in  Decem- 
ber, that  year,  the  Inter-Allied  Air-Control  Commission  ordered  the 
airship  operations  stopped.  The  "Bodensee"  was  delivered  to  Italy 
and  the  "Nordstern"  to  France  in  1921. 

Once  more  the  aeronautical  world  became  interested  in  Zeppelins. 
The  last  cruise  of  the  "Bodensee"  under  German  management  took 
her  from  Friedrichshafen  to  Rome.  She  cruised  over  Zurich,  Bern, 
Geneva  and  Avignon,  often  making  160  kilometers  an  hour,  to 
the  Mediterranean,  near  St.  Rafael.  Visitors  at  Cannes,  Nice  and 
Monaco  saw  a  rigid  airship  for  the  first  time  as  the  "Bodensee"  held 
to  her  route  passing  directly  over  Corsica  and  Elba,  and  finally  to 
the  airdrome  in  Ciampino,  between  Rome  and  the  Albanian  moun- 
tains. She  had  made  more  than  825  miles  (1,329  kilometers)  in  12 
hours  and  49  minutes,  at  an  average  speed  of  64.6  miles  (104  kilo- 
meters) an  hour  for  the  entire  distance. 


(52 


PLATE  53 


PH 


fe 


o 

U 


ikll 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  Zeppelin  Organization  and  Facilities  Today 

THE  Zeppelin  organization  today  is  prepared  to  build,  deliver 
and  operate  rigid  airships  for  any  purpose.     It  has  under 
contract  virtually  all  the  competent  airship  personnel  in 
Germany.     Practically    all    the    engineering    staffs    and    workmen 
employed  in  developing  Zeppelins  have  been  retained,  one  way  or 
another,  that  they  may  be  prepared  to  guarantee  satisfactory  per- 
formance of  any  Zeppelin  turned  out. 

Actual  construction  work  was  discontinued  early  in  1920.  The 
Allied  Powers  so  interpreted  the  Treaty  of  Versailles  that  the  German 
aircraft  industry  was  not  able  to  produce  ships  or  planes  having  the 
least  possible  military  value.  Further  restrictions  were  defined  in 
the  London  Ultimatum.  They  have  been  enforced  by  the  Allied 
Control  Commission. 

Research  and  Development  Work  Continues 

Notwithstanding  this  severe  handicap,  the  Zeppelin  organizations 
have  been  kept  intact.  There  has  been  sufficient  work  on  motor  cars, 
motor  boats,  motors,  gears,  aluminum  foundry  work,  etc.  to  keep 
the  workmen  occupied.  Where  some  of  the  plants  have  been  closed, 
the  entire  personnel  has  been  transferred  into  the  other  active  organi- 
zations. In  each  branch  of  the  Zeppelin  organization  design  and 
research  work  on  airships  and  aerial  navigation  have  continued  and 
progressed. 

Zeppelin  Able  to  Produce  All  Types 

Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin  has  been  particularly  active  in  develop- 
ing as  far  as  possible  the  many  ideas  and  inventions  originating 
before  and  during  the  war.  Many  of  their  new  airship  designs  have 

(53) 


PLATE  54 


been  completed,  others  partly  finished.  It  is  now  possible  to  produce 
quickly  any  type  of  commercial  airship  from  of  700,000  to  7,000,000 
cubic  feet  (20,000  to  2,000,000  cubic  meters)  capacity. 

Some  of  the  principal  types  for  which  specifications  have  been 
completed  and  the  performance  of  which  are  guaranteed  and  further, 
backed  by  more  than  twenty -five  years  of  experience,  include: 

Plate  51        1— A   20,000   to   30,000   cubic   meter  fast   passenger 

Zepelin,  based  on  the  Bodensee  performance. 
Plate  52       2 — A    50,000    cubic    meter    passenger    Zeppelin    for 

medium  distances  and  training  purposes. 
Plate  53        3 — A  60,000  cubic  meter  fast  passenger  Zeppelin  for 

medium  distances. 
Plate  53-54  4 — A  100,000  cubic  meter  trans-atlantic  mail -carry  ing 

Zeppelin. 
Plate  55       5 — A    135,000   cubic   meter   long   distance    passenger 

Zeppelin. 

Airships  for  national  defense  are  available,  such  as  scouting,  long 
distance  patrol  ships  and  others  for  mine  spotting  and  short  radius 
patrol. 

Guaranteed  Performance  Based  on  Actual  Experience 

From  actual  experience  during  the  war  Luffschiffbau-Zeppelin  is 
able  to  build  and  guarantee  the  performance  of  airplane  carrying 
airships  which  permit  large  or  small  planes  being  launched  or  taken 
aboard  while  in  flight. 

Bombing  and  raiding  airships  have  been  developed;  but  on  the 
other  hand  the  military  development  is  considered  of  secondary 
importance  to  the  vast  amount  of  knowledge  and  experience  acquired 
for  commercial  airship  operations. 

(54) 


PLATE  55 


a    a 

<D       §3 


Complete  Airship  Navigation  Data  Now  Available 
The  Zeppelin  Operating  Company  ("DELAG")  have  collaborated 
in  assembling  all  possible  data  relative  to  the  operation  and  navi- 
gation of  the  great  rigids,  with  a  view  toward  having  it  available  for 
immediate  use  and  the  instruction  of  other  personnel  when  and 
wherever  circumstances  permit  or  require. 

Aerial  transport  requirements  of  the  future  have  been  the  subject 
of  exhaustive  study  and  research.  Many  new  inventions  have 
resulted  from  this  knowledge  of  what  is  necessary  to  realize  even 
part  of  the  almost  limitless  possibilities  in  airship  communication. 
Innumerable  ideas  have  been  created  and  passed  upon  by  experts 
who  have  decided  finally  as  to  their  practicability  and  financial  worth. 
The  "DELAG,"  which  it  will  be  noted,  is  the  navigating  company 
of  the  Zeppelin  organization,  has  retained  all  of  its  1919  personnel 
and  has  added  to  it  such  forces  as  the  outlook  for  the  future  seems 
to  warrant.  The  "DELAG"  has  about  all  of  the  qualified  airship 
personnel  in  Central  Europe. 

Zeppelin  Organization  Equipped  for  New  Conditions 
The  parent  company,  Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin,  has  so  arranged  its 
organization  that  it  can  handle  any  development  arising  from  the 
new  situation  both  politically  and  economically. 

Heretofore  the  management  was  under  Director-General  Alfred 
Colsman  alone.  Today  it  is  divided  into  three  divisions,  operating, 
constructing  and  financial.  Mr.  Colsman  handles  the  financial 
divisions  and  various  subsidiary  companies.  Dr.  Ludwig  Duerr 
the  construction,  and  Dr.  Hugo  Eckener  the  operating  division  which 
includes  also  the  technical  phases  and  all  outside  relations,  domestic 
and  foreign.  Dr.  Eckener,  meanwhile,  retains  his  position  as  man- 
aging Director  of  the  "DELAG"  and  as  one  of  the  Directors  of  the 
Zeppelin  endowment. 

(55) 


PLATE  56 


135,000  Cubic  Meter  Fast  Passenger  Zeppelin  Drawing  Room. 


135,000  Cubic  Meter  Fast  Passenger  Zeppelin — Stateroom. 


Considered  from  all  angles,  due  to  the  present  development  and 
knowledge  of  the  science  of  lighter-than-air,  it  is  possible  today  to 
provide  satisfactory  airship  service  for  any  route  contemplated  or 
which  may  be  planned  for  the  future. 

Two  and  a  Half  Days  Trans-Atlantic  Service  Possible 
Carefully  prepared  calculations  on  some  600  flights  made  up  and 
carried  out  from  daily  weather  maps  of  the  north  Atlantic  on  method- 
ically selected  periods,  have  convinced  the  Zeppelin  officials  that  a 
two  and  a  half  day  Zeppelin  service  could  be  maintained  between 
Europe  and  America. 

Zeppelin  engineers  worked  incessantly  making  the  North  Atlantic 
flights  across  the  weather  maps.  When  they  had  completed  their 
600  theoretical  trips  they  knew  as  much  about  what  actually  could 
be  done,  as  if  they  had  flown  such  a  service  for  two  or  three  years. 
With  the  exception  of  a  few  details,  easily  worked  out  in  a  brief 
experimental  period,  the  Zeppelin  organization  could  put  such  a 
service  in  operation  at  once,  if  permitted. 

New  York-Chicago  Route  Difficult  but  Practicable 
There  has  been  considerable  speculation  relative  to  the  New 
York-Chicago  route.  Several  announcements  have  been  made  that 
either  an  airplane  or  airship  service  was  about  to  be  started.  The 
Zeppelin  engineers  came  to  the  United  States  not  long  ago  and  made 
a  preliminary  survey  of  that  route.  They  based  their  report  on  a 
thorough  examination  of  daily  weather  maps  and  reports  for  the  last 
thirty  years  and  stated  that  a  New  York-Chicago  route  could  be 
operated  successfully.  It  was  "pointed  out  that  the  New  York-Chi- 
cago line  would  assume  more  responsibility  for  the  fair  name  of 
commercial  airship  transport  than  anywhere  on  earth,  more  so,  even 
than  the  trans-atlantic  route  which,  technically,  is  far  less  difficult. 

(56) 


PLATE  57 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bordensee" 
The  new  palace  at  Potsdam  as  seen  enroute. 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
View  of  Reichsteig  Building  and  Unten  den  Linden,  Berlin. 


When  asked  to  cooperate  in  a  New  York-Chicago  airship  line, 
the  Zeppelin  organization  has  consistently  pointed  out  the  many 
problems  to  be  met.  Their  preliminary  survey  shows  that  they  can 
maintain  a  twelve  hour  schedule,  with  almost  100%  regularity  in 
summer,  from  80  to  90%  in  winter,  or  an  average  yearly  performance 
of  from  93  to  96%. 

Many  Engineering  Problems  Solved 

In  addition,  the  Zeppelin  organization  supports  its  conclusion 
with  a  fund  of  engineering  data.  Considerable  research  work  has 
resulted  in  solving  many  problems  including  passenger  accommoda- 
tions and  the  structure  of  larger  airships,  improvement  of  the  gasoline 
engine,  the  steam  turbine  and  the  Diesel  engine.  They  have  pro- 
vided for  the  safety  of  gas  containers,  eliminating  fire  and  lightning 
risk,  even  producing  a  nitrogen  mantle. 

Gearings,  reversible  propellers  and  modern  methods  of  ballast 
recovery  have  been  perfected  or  improved. 

Various  devices  for  launching  ships,  rotary  sheds  accommodating 
two  giant  Zeppelins  yet  revolving  under  light  power  from  electric 
motors,  and  many  other  docking  facilities  are  primarily  of  Zeppelin 
origin. 

Zeppelin  has  also  improved  methods  for  fabricating  all-metal 
commercial  planes. 

Zeppelin  Now  Aims  to  Increase  Efficiency 

Many  of  the  problems  in  commercial  airship  operations  or  design 
will  be  solved  shortly  after  actual  operations  are  started.  The  aim 
of  Zeppelin  engineers  has  been  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  airship 
as  it  has  been  proven  that  the  financial  returns  from  airship  trans- 
port are,  or  should  be,  proportionately  increased  by  the  use  of  larger 
ships.  The  Zeppelin  efforts,  therefore,  is  to  secure  greater  efficiency 

(57) 


PLATE  58 


The  "DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
View  of  Brandenburger  Gate — Berlin  in  Winter. 


The 


'DELAG"  Passenger  Zeppelin  "Bodensee." 
View  of  Berlin  in  Winter. 


which  will  allow  better  financial  returns  with  smaller  units  and  less 
expense. 

Commercial  Operations  Data  Compiled 

While  this  has  been  one  of  the  principal  objectives  of  the  engineer- 
ing branch,  the  operating  staffs  have  developed  new  methods  of 
handling  the  big  ships  commercially;  improved  organizations,  and 
methods  and  apparatus  for  making  coast  and  geodetic  surveys  by 
airship,  forest  fire  patrol,  and  scientific  explorations. 

Their  investigations  of  weather  and  technical  conditions  have 
extended  throughout  the  world;  one  of  the  principal  surveys  of 
proposed  routes  being  between  Spain  and  Buenos  Aires,  in  which  it 
was  learned  that  a  normal  schedule  can  be  maintained  regularly 
with  ninety-six  hours  allotted  for  non-stop  flights  between  the  two 
terminals. 

The  Public  will  Accept  Airship  Transportation  Here  as  Abroad 

Of  course,  the  public  must  be  converted  to  the  use  of  the  airship, 
just  as  the  people  of  Germany  were  converted — by  actual  operations. 
There  probably  exists  no  other  field  of  human  endeavor  so  essential 
to  our  civilization  as  that  of  transportation.  The  traveling  public 
has  accepted  other  mediums  of  conveyance  after  they  had  demon- 
strated inherent  qualities  of  safety  and  reliability.  So  it  is  with 
aircraft.  Heavier-than-air  machines  have  gradually  popularized 
flying.  Persons  are  riding  by  the  air  route  in  constantly  increasing 
numbers,  here  and  abroad.  Their  faith  in  commercial  aviation  is 
due  solely  to  the  BRAVE  pioneering  efforts  of  a  few  men  of  vision 
these  last  twenty  years.  Popularity  and  general  use  depends  on  the 
efficiency  of  the  organizations  which  now  carry  on  the  work  so  well 
begun. 

(58) 


PLATE  59 


Zeppelin  Fountain  at  Friedrichshafen. 
Dedicated  by  the  townspeople  to  the  memory  of  Count  Zeppelin. 


Zeppelin  Ready  to  Participate  in  Development  Throughout  the  World 

It  is  the  privilege  of  Zeppelin  to  participate  in  this  development 
along  the  lines  laid  out  by  the  founder,  to  the  end  that  the  rigid  air- 
ship may  do  its  part  in  bringing  men  and  nations  more  closely 
together  and  facilitate  mutual  understanding  and  good  will  through- 
out the  world. 


(59) 


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